To Look At the Sea Without Wishing
by Lady Ayuka
Summary: A single drop in the ocean and a tidal wave is born. Lily's life is pure chaos from the moment she wakes up and finds herself reincarnated into the world of One Piece. And with none other than Monkey D. Luffy as her twin brother it's not bound to get any easier anytime soon. OC Self-insert.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Aaaaaahhhh, yeah. So, here's this. The shame of all fanfiction. The dreaded OC self-insert. I have to admit that I've always had a fondness for these kinds of stories so long as they were well written. And I've always wanted to write one. So, when the idea for this latched on and refused to let go I finally figured 'what the hell' and went for it. Hopefully it's not too bad.**

 **So, the first thing I want to establish is that, in this fic, Makino raises Luffy and Lily. She's not their mother but she is their guardian in Garp's absence. I decided this because we really have no idea about Luffy's mom at the moment and I'd rather not write her character just to have it completely jossed later on. One major OC is enough for this fic, I think. And besides, someone had to take care of Luffy as a baby and as much as Garp loves him I doubt our favorite Pirate Captain would've survived infancy if left in the Marine's care. So, Makino.**

 **Second, there will be no ships in this fic. Like seriously. None. The closest you'll get is the way Sanji flirts with literally everything with boobs and that's only because it's an integral part of his character. If you wanna look for it, go for it. Any and all ships are bound to be implied at some point given the fact that I absolutely thrive on close relationships and I don't mind if you see more into it. But I will never explicitly write a ship into this fic. So if you're only here for OC romance you're sadly out of luck.**

 **Lastly, this is an AU. Lily will know plot points, and her knowledge and the actions she takes because of it will change the course of events accordingly. Certain things will still happen, certain things will not, big and small. At this point I only have the vaguest of outlines planned out so even I can't say for certain exactly what's in store.**

 **So, now that that's all said and done, onto chapter one! I have the second and part of the third already written and depending on the response this gets I'll post it asap.**

 **Rated T for canon typical violence and swearing, though for anyone who's read my writing, I have a tendency to go a bit overboard on gore and angst. Don't know if it's destined to happen in this fic as I'm hoping it will have a more hopeful tone. But hey, it pays to be careful, I guess. If there's ever a need for trigger warnings, know that I will post them before the chapter in an A/N. And if I ever miss one, please don't hesitate to let me know. The mental and emotional safety and comfort of my readers is worth way more than any fic could ever be.**

 **PS: For those waiting on an update to Time Is On Our Side, it's coming, I promise. My muse has abandoned me at the moment, though it feels more like it was violently shoved aside by the one for this fic instead. But I am working on it and I will get it to you as soon as it's finished, you have my word.**

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 _"Little islands are all large prisons; one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow." - Richard Francis Burton._

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My name is Monkey D. Liliana. It wasn't always, though, and that's where this story begins.

You see, to everyone else, I was Lily. I was born on May fifth in a small home in Foosha Village just twenty-seven minutes after my brother, Monkey D. Luffy. We were raised together on Dawn Island. Our father is considered the World's Most Dangerous Criminal and our grandfather is considered the Hero of the Marines.

But I hadn't always been Lily. In fact, I had lived almost twenty years of an entirely different life. I hadn't been surprised when I died, as much as I wish I could've been. I _was_ , however, surprised to find myself waking up. Though, it honestly felt much less like waking and more as if I was suddenly aware of myself once more.

And if I hadn't been before, I sure as shit was aware now. And what I was aware of was noise and cold and _light_ , so loud and so bright compared to the warm darkness I had just been violently ripped from. I had no idea what was going on and no way to find out. My sight was nothing but a confusing blur of shapes. I could hear voices but couldn't distinguish what was being said. I was aware of being lifted and carried, of being gently but thoroughly wiped down before being wrapped snugly with a soft blanket. I was placed on what felt like a padded table beside a warm bundle that a part of me instinctively recognized as _important_.

I racked my brain to try and figure out just what the hell was going on while wriggling uselessly, desperately trying to get my limbs to listen to me. But it was like they had no idea how to work, had no idea just how to interpret and then carry out the commands my mind was sending. Each theory I came up with just made my stomach sink deeper and deeper in dread.

Had I been wrong and, instead of dying, I'd ended up seriously injured? Had I suffered brain damage? Able to think but unable to connect to my body? Was I going to spend the rest of my life like this, trapped and helpless? Or was I really dead, and this was the hell I was to spend the rest of eternity in?

The thought terrified me. I'd spent all of my previous life feeling like a helpless prisoner. What I was experiencing now was probably my greatest fear.

In my panic I did the only thing I _could_ do. I cried. I cried until I exhausted myself. And when I woke again, I cried some more. I screamed and wailed at the world because it was the only thing I was able to do. It was the only way my body seemed capable of dealing with the all-consuming terror that I felt.

This went on for what must've been weeks, possibly months. The warmth that I would later learn was my brother never left my side and was honestly the only thing that could comfort me and quiet my constant wails for any length of time. Years later I would learn that I'd nearly driven Makino out of her mind with worry. She'd thought for sure something was wrong with me no matter how often the doctor assured her that I was perfectly healthy. She couldn't understand how anything could be fine when I sounded like I was in so much pain. And she had been right, I _was_ in pain. It was just emotional, not physical. If I hadn't gotten better when I did she had been prepared to contact Garp through Marine Headquarters and who knows what would have happened then.

You see, when babies are born, their eyes are extremely underdeveloped. This was why my surroundings remained a blur. But after weeks of panic and confusion and grief for the freedom I thought had been placed forever outside my reach, I was finally able to slowly focus on things, though only on close objects at first.

The first thing I saw with perfect clarity was my brother's sleeping face. I stared for what felt like hours but was surely only minutes, drinking in the sight of his chubby pink cheeks and the shock of dark hair on his head, savoring the fact that I was looking and actually _seeing_ something.

After awhile my brain finally thought it relevant to try to piece together what I could now see to maybe shed light on my situation. I found it odd that a sleeping baby would rest so close to me. If I was injured I would be in a hospital and the chances of an infant randomly snoozing at my bedside would be exactly zero. However, if I was dead, and this was hell, there still would be no reason for a baby to be there. I wasn't afraid of children and honestly had no real opinion one way or the other about them. The only torture I would get from this would be from the confusion.

I had plenty of time to try to puzzle it out, seeing as how my only other real option was to sleep until the young green haired woman that was our caretaker came back. My thoughts were more or less just going around in circles by the time she returned, just minutes after the infant had awoken, and I was grateful for the distraction.

She started with the baby first, which I guess made sense. She grasped his little feet gently as she led his legs through a series of stretches, pushing them up and down in a marching motion, all while endlessly cooing. The baby cooed back, clearly overjoyed with the attention, it's tiny arms flailing about in it's excitement. After a few minutes of this she gently turned it over onto it's tummy and presented it with a selection of soft toys before moving onto me.

It was at this time that I noticed how large she truly was in comparison to myself, even though she'd looked like a small woman while standing by the infant. But that didn't make sense, not unless -

Not unless I was a baby, too.

...Huh. There was an idea.

I'd never really put much thought into what came after death, far too wrapped up in trying to live to worry about dying. But I had heard of reincarnation. I'd always thought it was a cool, if far-fetched, theory.

But I'd already ruled everything else out. And trust me, being trapped inside yourself for weeks on end, unable to really focus on anything else, definitely gave a person time to think things over very thoroughly. Given that it seemed to be the most logical conclusion and the only one supported by what I'd seen so far, I decided to embrace it but keep my eyes open just in case.

With that question finally answered for the moment I moved onto other thoughts as I contently let my caretaker stretch my legs before plopping me onto my stomach next to what must be my brother, if our relative sizes were anything to go by. Instead I focused on the fact that being a baby meant I was going to grow into a _child_. Which meant that I was not, in fact, a prisoner of my own body. It would take a lot of effort and a lot stubbornness but realistically I could be crawling by six months and walking by nine. Thank God I had stubbornness in spades.

With this information firmly in mind I became much calmer. I went from crying near constantly to hardly ever even whining, content to just sit and watch the world go by as my level of awareness grew. When I got older Makino would often joke about the fact that the reason I'd cried so much for so long must have simply been because I was bored to tears. But every time she said it I could see the relief in her eyes and the thankfulness she had for the fact that I wasn't sick or worse.

With the goal of freedom in mind, I pushed my little body to the limit and by six and a half months old I was crawling around like a pro. The moment my brother realized this meant I was no longer a constant by his side he brought forth just as much effort and mastered it just as quickly, determined not to let me out of arm's reach. We quickly became bored of it, however, and within three more months we were toddling about like we'd been doing it since the day we were born.

Life continued on this way. My brother and I were on the move constantly, Makino a shadow that followed diligently behind our every step. We both shared a boundless curiosity for the world around us, though mine was more about cataloging all the differences to the world I had once known. Because of this we rarely stopped for anything less than food and trying to get us down for nap time became an absolute nightmare no matter how tired we were. I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for our caretaker.

At first I'd hesitantly thought of her as our mother but she'd never referred to herself as such. And as we began to learn to speak, little words spilling out from around clumsy tongues, she began trying to cajole us into saying "Makino". Something about the name combined with her dark green hair and pretty, kind face made me think I recognized her from somewhere. But no matter how long I dwelled on it, or the name of the bar she owned, or the strange snails I'd seen that acted as telephones, I could never quite put my finger on what it was, no matter how obvious I felt it had to be.

I'll admit that it took an embarrassingly long time for me to figure it out. In fact, it took until my brother and I were a little more than a year and half years old. One day Luffy'd somehow gotten into Makino's makeup bag in the bathroom. Before she or I even knew what happened the room was covered in a selection of blushes, with lipsticks smeared all along the walls in what was probably meant to be a very compelling piece of art. Luffy himself had become entranced with the brightly colored eyeshadows, rubbing them onto the skin of his arms and legs. When he saw that we'd found him he ran straight up to me with a grin and started to babble excitedly, determined to share this new-found treasure. I thought it was utterly adorable but _I_ wasn't the one that was going to have to clean up the mess.

I could see Makino from the corner of my eye, first still in shock and then quickly beginning to tremble in rage. Her face turned a dark red and she honestly looked angrier than I'd ever seen her before. She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but it clearly wasn't working. And Luffy just babbled on, grinning at me endlessly as he gestured towards each separate color, showcasing each of his favorites, completely oblivious to the rage building within our caretaker that was about to explode solidly in his direction.

I couldn't help but crack a smile when he gestured with particular enthusiasm to a shade of deep red just above his elbow, his favorite of them all. This small action seemed to be what finally pushed the poor woman over the edge.

"Monkey D. Luffy, what did you _do_?" She demanded, the sudden noise causing Luffy to startle and turn wide eyes her way. Her face softened at the clear confusion on his face, showing he truly had no idea he'd done anything wrong. She remained firm as she reprimanded him though, making sure he understood, and once he looked suitably chastised she swept him up into gentle arms and declared it bath time before holding out her hand towards me with an simple, "Come along, Lily."

I followed after her in a daze, my mind stuck on the words she'd yelled out, my thoughts grinding to a halt. For long minutes I couldn't truly comprehend what I'd heard. Once I did, I truly felt like smacking myself. _Of course._ The talk of pirates I'd overheard in the tavern, the Den Den Mushi I'd seen around, Makino, _Luffy._

My twin brother was Monkey D. Luffy, Strawhat Captain and future King of the Pirates.

And I'd been reincarnated into One Piece as his little sister.

 _Shit._

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 **And there you have it! Favorite, follow or review, anything to let me know what you think and if you'd like to read more! And as always, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Uhhh, trigger warning for blood? Maybe? Not really but. Yeah.**

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When Luffy and I are six pirates come to Foosha Village.

We're sitting in Makino's bar eating lunch when one of the neighbors from down the road barges in, out of breath and in a panic.

"Pirates have docked in the harbor!"

" _What?!_ " Makino is on her feet and rounding the counter before the words have even fully left his lips. She pauses to place a hand on my brother and mine's head, regarding us sternly. "You stay here, understand? And if anything happens, you go out the back and into the woods outside the village. I'll come get you when I can."

She waits until she receives nods from both of us before she spins on her heel and all but marches out the door. The man spares us a quick look, probably meant to be reassuring, before he follows.

It's quiet for a moment. I wait until the count of twenty, knowing how long it takes to walk from the door to the corner. As soon as I'm sure our guardian is out of sight I jump from my stool and Luffy follows instantly. It's a system that we've definitely perfected. My brother may never be the smartest person in a room, or have the patience to count out the seconds it takes to get from one spot to the next, but that's what I'm for.

Luffy's the one I follow into trouble. I'm the one he follows to get out of it.

We're running as soon as we hit the door, twisting between buildings as we make our way towards the bay. Even now I can see the mast jutting up towards the sky. It's the tallest thing I've seen so far in this world, taller than the trees around us by far.

As we run I take the time to think about exactly what it is we're running to. I'm pretty sure the pirates in question are the Red Hair Pirates but I'm not one hundred percent certain. There was never any hint of pirates having come before Shanks in the manga. But then again, as far as I knew, Luffy's life before Shanks had been a blank. Probably because it'd mostly been boring, as I could attest to, having lived it for myself.

But the fact remained that I could be wrong. I could be running headlong into a very dangerous situation with my very young twin brother. Sure, I might be young physically, but mentally I was almost four times his age by now. I should unquestionably be the responsible one, then, the one that kept us from doing stupid stunts just like this.

Honestly, though? I was far too curious for my own good and my impulse control had never been all that great to begin with. And, be it genes or simply constant exposure to the insanity that was my family, it had only gotten worse since I'd been born into this world. Mix that with Luffy's "leap before looking" way of life and it made for a pretty deadly combination.

I was definitely getting a lot of practice on getting us _out_ of trouble, though. Knowing what I did about the mayhem Luffy was destined to cause it was a skill I was definitely going to need to keep sharp.

We slowed to a walk as we began to hear voices, creeping along the wall of a house that sat just in sight of the docks. As we looked around the corner we could see the crowd of villagers that had gathered behind Woop Slap, the Mayer. Makino stood defiantly by his side.

And there, in front of them, stood a group of men that could undeniably be called pirates. And right at the head was a tall man with an easy going smile, three vertical scars over his left eye and hair redder than any I'd ever seen before. This man was without a doubt Red Haired Shanks.

"So cool," Luffy breathed from beside me, clearly star struck. I was inclined to agree, nodding almost robotically. Even from here I could feel that this group of men just exerted an _aura,_ though whether it was one of power or personality I had no clue.

"We're not here to pillage, we're just here to drink," a calm smooth voice cut through the murmurs of the villagers, silencing them instantly. I was kind of in awe. He didn't even have to raise his voice to get others to listen. His was definitely the voice of a Captain. "Just point us towards the nearest tavern and you have my word as Captain that you'll have no trouble from us."

"I'll hold you to that," the Mayor warned sternly, looking like he'd bitten into an extremely unpleasant lemon. But he always looked some degree of grumpy so I didn't really pay it any mind. I had to give the old guy credit for bravery, though, being able to talk to such a dangerous pirate like he was just a young hooligan. It was probably from dealing with Garp for so long. No one could deal with Gramps that often and not have _some_ effect on their sanity.

I shuddered at just the thought of the crazy old man.

Without further ado the crowd began to disperse, the drama of the day clearly over. Makino stepped forward to guide the pirates towards her bar. It was at this point in time I realized we had to _haul ass_ because if Makino found out we hadn't listened to her expressly given order _'displeased'_ would be an understatement.

I yanked Luffy back around the side of the house without a word and he followed instantly. We ran as fast as our little legs could take us but we had to take numerous detours to avoid being seen. We made it just in time, plopping on our stools with not even a moment to spare as the door swung open. It was then that I realized the very real flaws in our plan. One, Luffy and I were both covered in sweat and extremely out of breath from our sprint, no matter how hard we tried to hide it. Two, we'd left without finishing our meal. There was no way we wouldn't have finished eating in the time she'd been gone and it was absolutely unheard of for us to leave food on our plates.

As Makino walked in I watched as she assessed us both, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she clearly saw what I'd already noticed. I mentally cursed for not thinking of it ahead of time. We might have made it back in time but we clearly hadn't gotten away with it. Luffy noticed the sudden slump of my shoulders and pouted in response, knowing what it meant.

Makino said nothing, though, as she made her way behind the bar. Pirates filed in after her and she wasted no time in handing out tankards of mead and bottles of liquor. The men of the town frequented the bar regularly after a long day of work and all the older ladies gathered every Thursday and Sunday afternoon to share gossip, so strictly speaking Party's Bar was our town's hot spot, but it had never seen business like this before. And Makino handled it like a pro, the calm smile never leaving her face as the men drank themselves into a stupor and began to sing and laugh and then, one by one, pass out onto their table or, in some cases, under it.

I couldn't help but feel proud of our guardian. She might not be a warrior capable of beating up Shichibukia but that didn't mean she wasn't one fierce woman. To raise a guy like Luffy she'd have to be.

Shanks, who'd seated himself at the bar, was one of the last to drop into unconsciousness, leaving a long-haired man I vaguely recognized as his First Mate - _Ben something?_ \- as the only one still left awake and mostly sober. Even with the way the red-haired captain soon began snoring into the crook of his elbow, hat covering his face and leaving only his gaping mouth visible, I was sure he'd be able to jump into attack mode without even a thought.

Luffy, however, seemed to not share my opinion or more likely hadn't even thought about it. Separated by only a single stool between them, my idiot of a brother began reaching his hand towards his future treasure before I even had time to realize just what it was he was planning to do.

His fingers had barely brushed the brim when the captain's hand lashed out, clasping around my brother's wrist in an iron grip and lifting him effortlessly into the air. Luffy cried out, mostly in shock but also in pain.

"Don't. Touch. My hat." Shanks snarled out, a dark look on his face. I couldn't help but gape up at the scene even as Makino called out in alarm. I couldn't understand. From all I remembered, Shanks loved Luffy. I couldn't remember a single instance of the man ever looking at him like that.

"Captain." The voice was steady in a way no one else seemed to be but it got Shanks' attention instantly. The man blinked, first at the calm face of his First Mate and then at the boy he was still holding by the arm.

To his credit, he released my brother immediately, face equal parts sheepish and apologetic as Makino took the chance to race between the two. It wasn't until Luffy was back at my side, rubbing lightly at his wrist, that I finally realized what had just happened.

And then I didn't care that it was Shanks. Then I was just mad.

"Hey!" I shouldered my way past Makino, easily evading her desperately grasping hands, and without further ado kicked the pirate captain solidly in the shin. The man yelped and hopped away, eyes wide in what could only be surprise at the fact that he'd just been assaulted by a six-year-old girl. I heard what sounded suspiciously like a snort coming from the direction of Ben but I ignored it. I was too angry to care about anything other then the fact that he'd hurt Luffy. "You touch my brother again and I'll kick your ass!"

"Lily!" Makino finally wrestled me behind her back where Luffy instantly wrapped me into his arms, pulling me even further away so that his body became another barrier between me and the possibly-murderous pirates.

Shanks continued to blink uncomprehendingly for a moment before suddenly collapsing into a fit of laughter, arms wrapped around his gut in an attempt to contain himself, like he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life. I grit my teeth, my face going aflame at the thought that he was making fun of me. Yeah, I might not be much of a threat when compared to the future Yonko but that didn't mean I wasn't serious! He didn't have to laugh _that_ hard!

"Don't laugh at my sister, you jerk!" Luffy yelled out, instantly coming to my defense. This only seemed to make the man laugh harder. Makino, for her part, looked about ready to tape our mouths shut and never let us talk again for the rest of our lives. I couldn't really blame her. From her position this was not a good situation and we really weren't helping things.

"Sorry, sorry!" Shanks finally managed to choke out around chuckles. "I'm not making fun of you!"

After another minute of uproarious laughter he finally seemed able to get control of himself, taking a deep breath as he wiped tears of mirth away. Once he was calm he grinned at us. "I wasn't making fun of you, I was surprised. I can honestly say I've never seen a kid your age attack a pirate quite so fearlessly. You're one hell of a Spitfire!"

It was obviously a compliment and I could feel my face heat once more in embarrassment at the praise. At least the tension was slowly beginning to drain out of Makino's tense shoulders. Shanks shifted his gaze to Luffy then, meeting his glare head-on. His grin melted away and his voice took a tone of seriousness that I hadn't yet heard from the man.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." I could feel my brother tense instantly at the implication that he was scared. Before he could ruin the pirate captain's apology by being an ass I quickly and none too gently shoved my elbow directly into his ribs. He jerked and wisely kept his mouth shut. Shanks slowly removed the hat from his head, bringing it forward and gazing at it fondly. "This hat is my greatest treasure. I don't ever want to lose it. And when someone tries to take it, I sometimes act without thinking."

He grinned again as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, knowing it didn't really excuse the fact that he almost harmed a child. Luffy, meanwhile, had on his Thinking Face, furrowed brows and everything. I huffed out a breath, already knowing what my brother was going to say, and let the fight drain out of me. Oh, well. Shanks had apologized and it wasn't like he'd caused any damage.

"I'm sorry, too," Luffy finally decided as his face morphed into the wide grin I loved so much. "I wasn't trying to take your treasure, I just wanted to see your face. You're the first pirate I ever saw!" He informed Shanks and I nodded in solemn agreement. I might have seen them all before in my old life, in the anime and in the manga, but it's one thing to see them through a computer screen and quite another to see them in real life.

"Really?" Shanks asked, face positively lighting up. "You mean you haven't heard any of the stories? Or the _songs_?"

At our twin - _ha!_ \- nods he gleefully began a tale of the brave sea-fairing pirates and their unbreakable bond of nakamaship out on the ocean blue. I saw Luffy's eyes begin to sparkle in adoration. I felt the same sense of awe well up within myself and was practically powerless against the hero-worship I now felt towards the goofy red-haired captain.

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I really should have remembered.

What was the Straw Hat Captain without the iconic scar below his left eye? And I remember reading in the manga that he'd done it to himself to prove to Shanks that he was strong.

The problem was that he did things to prove his readiness to be a pirate all the time, ever since he got it into his thick skull that if he just tried hard enough, surely Shanks would agree to take him along. And the captain wasn't helping at all what with how much he antagonized him. I usually just watched on in exasperation, ready with ice and bandages and encouraging words for whenever my brother was done with whatever stupid stunt he'd thought up this time.

But this was different. This time Luffy was standing on a pile of wooden crates where everyone could see him as he held a knife to his own face. My heart began to race at the sight, panic I hadn't felt since those first weeks as an infant rushing through me. I began pushing my way through the crowd of pirates that had gathered, desperate to get to my brother, while everyone around me laughed and egged him on like the idiots they all were.

"I'm not joking this time!" Luffy yelled, scowl firmly on his face. "I'll prove it for you all to see!"

I could hear Shanks laughing, though I couldn't see the man, and cringed. Really, nothing got my brother to do stupid shit faster than that man's teasing. When this was all over I was going to kick him in the shins _so hard_.

"Go for it!" The captain's voice yelled out and I couldn't stop the snarl from escaping if I tried, causing all those within kicking distance of me to take a solid step back. At least it helped me to make it through the crowd faster. "Let's see what you're gonna do!"

I broke through just in time to watch as Luffy drove the blade straight into his face, slicing open the skin just below his eye, and I swear I felt my heart _stop_.

"Luffy!" The scream tore itself painfully from my throat as I leapt forward, desperate to get to my brother. Shanks made it to his side first, guiding him to the ground gently while also yanking the knife from his grip, tossing it carelessly into the water. Ben was there barely a step behind.

"What the hell are you doing?" The red-haired captain yelled, his voice thick with worry and fear. The crew were quick to crowd in, wanting to see for themselves that Luffy was okay. It didn't help me much in my quest to get to him and the longer it took me the more desperate my shoves became. _Damn my small stature!_

"Move!" I shouted as I tried to push my way through. I could feel my eyes burning as they filled with tears but there was nothing I could do to stop it. "Move, dammit! Luffy! _Luffy_!"

Finally the crew seemed to notice what I was doing and quickly made a path that I wasted no time making use of. I found Luffy sitting on the ground, Shanks hovering over him and hands clapped tightly to his face. What caught and held my attention, however, was the blood. It dripped down from between his fingers and down his neck, soaking into his t-shirt. I'd seen my brother injured before. Neither of us was the cautious type and we'd always played rough. And that didn't even take into account Gramps and his crazy idea of " _training_ ".

But he'd never been hurt like this before.

"Luffy, Luffy, Luffy," I chanted his name like a prayer as I knelt at his side, reaching out to pry his hands away, desperate to see the damage. He shook his head stubbornly and I could see the way his shoulders trembled from withholding sobs. I felt one of my own break through and choked on it, panic tightening my chest like a vice until it felt like I couldn't breathe.

In the manga he'd been fine. The scene had changed with nothing but a bandage to show for it. And while he'd carried the scar for the rest of his life it hadn't been all that noteworthy. I knew that. I remembered that. And it had been fine at the time. Just a way to introduce how impulsive and reckless the main character could be, even as a child.

But this wasn't a manga and Luffy wasn't just some quirky main character. He was my brother. He was the one who'd been beside me since the very start of my existence in this world, the only thing that always calmed me even in the worst of my panic. He was my twin, my double, the sun that I revolved around and we were together in all things, had been for over six years. I didn't know who I'd be without him, didn't know what I'd do if he lost his sight or, worse, lost his life.

The thought that I might have to find out scared me more than anything had in a long, long time.

"Lu, please," I finally managed to beg through my tears, and I could see him flinch at the sound of my desperation. "Please."

Slowly, haltingly, he lowered his hands away. He had his bottom lip clenched between his teeth and his right eye was watering like crazy. The left was clamped shut but I could see tears escaping it as well, which I hoped was a good sign. Below it was a gash that ran the length of his eyelid. The cut was clean but curved, almost like he'd been trying to carve his eye out. I shuddered at the thought. One inch higher and he likely would have. The most worrying thing was the amount of blood pouring from the wound. I knew that head wounds tended to bleed a lot and tentatively applied the same notion to face wounds, as the slice didn't appear to be all that deep, thankfully.

Releasing a shuddering breath I lunged forward, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders, not caring in the least as I felt the warm slickness of his blood smear along the skin of my cheek and likely into my hair. I was no longer crying in panic but full on sobbing in _relief_.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ , do that to me again! Do you hear me, you stupid, idiotic, piece of shit brother?!" I demanded. I felt him nod against me even as he gripped me back just as tightly. He'd been scared, too, and my tears obviously hadn't helped.

"And _you_!"I roared as I whipped my head around, bringing Shanks and his crew into my line of sight. They all, as a collective unit, flinched away from the sight of me. Whether it was from my glare, my crying, or both I had no clue. "You morons were the ones who egged him on! What the hell did you think he was gonna do with the knife?"

"We didn't think he'd actually do it!" Someone yelled defensively. I snarled at them and saw more than a few eyes widen in response.

"It's Luffy!" I yelled back. Most of them deflated instantly, shame coloring their faces. Because I was right and they knew it. It was Luffy and they should've known better.

I sighed and shook my head at them in disappointment. Honestly, sometimes it felt like I was the only one around who used their brain to actually _think_.

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 **A/N: I was originally going to post the entire Shanks arc as a single chapter but then it got longer than I thought it would. I was also going to wait like a week to post this but I'm weak and impatient and can't wait. Plus, I still haven't written for Time Is On Our Side and I feel super guilty and this is my way of making up for it? Even though I have no idea if any of the readers overlap? I don't know. Whatever.**

 **Anyway! Hopefully you all liked it. Favorite, follow or review and let me know what you think, please! I will gladly accept any and all criticisms and comments.**

 **Like always, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Trigger warning for grievous injury? I mean, we should all know what happens to Shanks, so...**

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To say Makino was unimpressed would be the biggest understatement of the year. The minute she laid eyes on Luffy's still sluggishly bleeding face, our teary eyes, the fierce scowl that adorned my face and the way I was clutching at my brother's hand like it was a lifeline, she took a very deep breath.

And then she began scolding everyone in the bar, her voice sharp and her eyes filled with disappointment.

And let me tell you, a disappointed Makino is the worst Makino of all. She so rarely got truly upset with anyone that to have it directed towards you is almost unbearable. I could see that none of Shanks' crew, even the ever stoic Ben Beckman, were immune to this. The further Makino berated them the more their shoulders slumped until every man looked ready to bow and beg forgiveness.

Really, it was quite impressive.

All the while our caregiver had bustled Luffy, and I by extension, to the bar where we sat side by side. She'd pulled out her large first aid kit, a necessity when raising Luffy, and gone straight to work. The effect of her reprimands was in no way impaired by the fact that she was splitting her attention. In no time at all my brother was stitched up and bandaged, the blood completely cleaned from his face. As she finished packing her kit back up Makino took another deep breath and let it out slowly. And then she turned to my brother with a soft smile and ruffled his hair.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Luffy," she spoke gently and everyone else in the bar released sighs of relief, knowing this signaled the end of her anger. Luffy grinned up at her, the only sign left that he'd been crying the slight redness in his eyes. He'd always been quick to bounce back and I'd always found it amusing, especially given the fact that soon he'd also be doing that quite literally, if the open chest I spotted just down the bar was any indication.

With Makino no longer on a rampage the tension in the air lightened immediately as all the crew began laughing and joking once more, crowing over Luffy's craziness and congratulating themselves on their own awesomeness. I rolled my eyes at the lot of them but did nothing to stop the smile twitching at my lips. Makino, setting a plate of food before both of us, had an equally indulgent smile.

"I wasn't even scared at all!" My brother claimed boldly and Shanks called him out immediately.

"Liar! Don't you ever do something like that again!"

"I'm not afraid of pain at all!" Luffy continued on as if Shanks hadn't even spoken. "I want to be a pirate, too! Take me out to sea with you!"

"You can't handle being a pirate. You can't even swim!" The red-haired captain laughed behind his hand at the fact, clearly going out of his way to antagonize my brother.

"As long as I stay on the ship, I'm fine! Besides," Luffy cocked his arm back and formed a fist, "I've trained rigorously before and so I'm a great fighter! My punch is as strong as a pistol!"

"Pistol, really?" Shanks turned away, clearly disbelieving. "Wow."

"What kind of tone is that?!"

The rest of the crew took this time to throw in their own two cents, practically waxing poetic about the beauties of the sea and the freedom being a pirate granted you. Even knowing that sailing wasn't all parties and adventure I had to admit that it sounded wonderful. The thought of being free to do anything and everything without having to conform or care about others' expectations sounded like a dream. Luffy seemed just as captivated by the idea as I did.

"Don't give him dumb ideas, you guys," Shanks interjected with a shake of his head, clearly disapproving.

"But it's the truth, right?" Lucky Roo asked, slab of meat held aloft in one hand.

"Right!" Yasopp grinned his agreement, face flushed from the copious amounts of booze he'd already drank. I was kind of surprised he'd taken a break from boasting about his son to actually chime in on this conversation. I'd read about Usopp through more than eight hundred chapters of manga and it still was nothing compared to the amount that man could talk about his kid. It'd almost be impressive, given how little time they'd actually spent together, if it wasn't so damn annoying.

"C'mon, Captain!" One of the crew called out from elsewhere in the bar. "It wouldn't be that bad to take him on just one trip, would it?"

"Yeah, I agree!" More and more crewmates began chiming in. I began feeling a twinge of anxiety. They hadn't take him before. Surely they wouldn't now...right?

"Sure," Shanks agreed blandly, turning his back to them. "One of you can stay here and he can take your place."

"We've said enough! Let's drink!"

"Hey, what kind of friends are you?!" Luffy demanded as the men dropped their arguments immediately.

"The smart kind," I muttered as I continued to eat my meal.

"You're still too young to go out to sea, Luffy," Shanks patted my brother's head, probably trying to be comforting but coming across as nothing but condescending. "Wait another ten years and then I'll consider taking you."

"Darn it, Shanks! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"Don't get upset. Here, have some juice."

"Oh! Thanks!" I couldn't help but snicker at the complete one-eighty my brother did, going from seething to smiling in less than a second. It wasn't until Shanks collapsed into a fit of mocking laughter that he realized he'd been played. "That was a dirty trick!"

"Calm down, Lu," I took hold of his shoulder to stop him from pouncing at the man. "Your food's gonna get cold."

As I knew it would, the mention of food distracted him immediately. Reclaiming his seat, he began to shovel mashed potatoes into his mouth before stabbing his meat with his fork, lifting the whole slab up to tear into with his teeth. I withheld comment on his despicable eating habits. I'd already lectured him multiple times, trying my best to instill manners into him. He'd had them once. Before Shanks and his crew had arrived he'd eaten his food like a normal person. He hadn't been impeccable, of course, but it'd at least been passable. All hope of that remaining the case disappeared as soon as they arrived and became Luffy's heroes. By their second trip back to Foosha he'd begun emulating their actions, as kids are wont to do when they admired someone. And that meant, apparently, eating like a barbarian.

Even though I said nothing I still sent a glare Lucky Roo's way, as he'd obviously been Luffy's biggest influence when it came to eating habits.

"Hey, Shanks," I called out now that their stupid daily argument was out of the way. The captain turned his attention to me immediately even as he continued shoveling food into his mouth. I felt my eye twitch in annoyance but continued on nonetheless. "How long are you guys staying?"

"Hmm," the man gave it some thought, "well, we have been here for about a year now. We'll probably do another trip or two and then head north."

"A trip or two, huh?" My shoulders slumped and I could see Luffy's doing the same. I knew they couldn't stay forever. They were a pirate crew, it was in their nature to long for adventure on the high seas. And besides that, this island was still well-known for being the hometown of Garp the Hero. It'd been a miracle Gramps hadn't returned yet. To stay any longer would definitely be tempting fate.

But even so I would be sad to see them go. In the year they'd been here it wasn't just Luffy that'd grown close to them. They could all act like idiots at times, the captain especially, but they were also great people with good hearts. They'd taken Luffy and I under their wing with no problem whereas most people would've been annoyed by our constant shenanigans. In fact, most people in the village _were_. Don't get me wrong, the villagers loved us but that didn't mean they had the patience it took to deal with us. The Red Hair Pirates, on the other hand, had no problem handling our mischief and in fact even seemed to truly enjoy having us around. The entire crew clearly cared for us just as much as we did them.

"Don't worry," Luffy spoke up as he pushed his now empty plate away, "I'll definitely be able to swim by then."

"Alright! Good luck!" Shanks laughed again but for once it was encouraging rather than mocking.

Ben had sat both Luffy and I down early on in Luffy's quest to be allowed on their crew. He'd taken the time to explain that his captain wasn't trying to belittle us or our dreams. The sea wasn't always a safe place and as Captain, Shanks had to keep the entire crew's well-being in mind. He might've been going about it the wrong way but this was his way of trying to keep us safe.

Though Luffy continued to insist that it really was just Shanks being a jerk I'd understood immediately, would've even if Ben had said nothing. It was why I'd never insisted on them taking me with them the way that my brother did. I would've loved to go and even knowing what I did I probably would've agreed instantly if they'd offered. But I knew I wasn't strong enough and neither was Luffy, not by far. Even with Gramps' _training_ all we'd ever really gotten was our strong will to survive. Being tossed into a den of wild monkeys or tied to hundreds of balloons and set loose into the sky tended to do that to a person.

My thoughts were interrupted when the swinging doors of the bar slammed open. The commotion inside stopped immediately, plunging the room into silence. All eyes had turned to the group of men standing at the entrance.

"So, this is what pirates look like, huh?" The man at the front, clearly the leader, spoke with a sneer. "They look like idiots to me."

No one in the bar moved. The crew just continued to stare at the newcomers in silence. I couldn't detect any kind of anger coming from them even after having been insulted. The man made his way up to the bar without further ado and no one made any move to stop him.

It was then that my attention shifted towards my brother instead of the bandit's demands for alcohol. Because there, in his hands, was a half eaten blue fruit covered in swirls. My breath stuttered to a halt for a second, my eyes widening in disbelief. I'd known he was going to eat it, had even noticed it sitting on the bar earlier. But I hadn't thought he'd do it without me even realizing it.

I'd debated with myself for quite some time over whether I should let him eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi or not. It might seem pretty straight forward in terms of plot, but like I'd said before, this wasn't just a _story_ anymore and this boy was my brother. Eating the fruit had been dangerous because there had been no telling just what it could've been. It was only my foreknowledge of it that even made it an option. But my brother was eating it unknowingly. He had no clue just what it was he was giving up. He'd never be able to swim, and after watching the last few weeks as he'd tried and tried and _tried_ to learn I knew just what a blow that would be to him now.

But I also knew just how much having his Devil Fruit powers would help him. Devil Fruits weren't the be-all-end-all and not having one didn't mean you couldn't be strong. Just thinking of Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world, or even the very man sitting beside us, a future _yonko_ , was enough to prove that. But they did enhance strength and they also sped up a body's recovery rate. And thinking of all of those bullets and cannons that Luffy had defected in the series was enough to make up my mind.

And it was a good thing I'd decided in favor, too, because apparently I wouldn't have been able to stop it even if I'd wanted to.

I tuned back in with the loud shattering of a bottle, looking up just in time to see it crash over Shanks' head and soak him through with sake. The once calm atmosphere tensed instantly.

"Don't take me so lightly," the man spoke in a haughty tone. "Just who do you think I am? One bottle isn't enough."

"Oh no," Shanks mumbled, looking dismayed, "now the floor is all wet."

"See this?" The guy went on as he pulled out a wanted poster that bore his photo and proclaimed him as Higuma, clearly not understanding that Shanks wasn't paying him a single bit of attention. "I'm worth eight million beli, a prime fugitive in these parts. I've killed fifty-six people before, you cocky bastard. Now that you know who I am, don't mess with us. After all, mountain bandits and pirates don't really get along."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Eight million, really? That wasn't all that much. And besides that, who the hell kept count of how many people they'd killed just to use it as an intimidation tactic? Shanks, clearly not any more worried about these guys than I was, continued to ignore him and instead stooped to begin picking up broken glass.

"Sorry about this, Makino," and he really did sound apologetic, "do you have a mop?"

"Oh, no! Don't worry, I'll clean it!" Our guardian spoke, her voice shaky. Her apprehension only grew when, annoyed at being so thoroughly ignored, the leader of the mountain bandits drew his sword and swiped it at the bar, causing all the plates and cups on it's surface to go tumbling to the floor as well. If Shank's hadn't been completely covered in sake before he definitely was now.

"There," Higuma's sneer had returned, "since you seem to enjoy cleaning so much, now you can enjoy it more." His group laughed along, vicious grins on their faces at the sight of their leader making a fool of the pirate captain. They turned towards the door, having had their fun. "Later, you bunch of losers."

The room was quiet for a moment longer as the bar doors slowly swung shut. And then Makino was rushing around the bar to kneel down at Shanks' side.

"Captain! Are you all right?" She asked, her arms fluttering over him like she was unsure of where to touch. He waved her off even as he released a long breath.

"I'm fine, Makino, don't worry."

All at once the crew fell apart in laughter, jeering at their captain and the sight he made. Even Shanks himself was laughing, head thrown back as he absently brushed food from his precious hat. From the corner of my eye I could see Luffy trembling and knew that an explosion was definitely imminent. It's not like I could blame him either. If I had the mentality of a seven-year-old I'd probably be just as angry at seeing my hero brought so low. In Luffy's eyes it looked as if his hero was a weak coward who wouldn't fight even after he'd been insulted.

"Why are you laughing?!" Luffy finally yelled out, having reached the end of his patience.

"Huh?" Shanks asked absently, smile still in place.

"That was disgraceful!" My brother insisted, causing the smile to dim and finally drop completely from the captain's face. "Why didn't you fight them? Who laughs after getting picked on? You're not a man and you're not a pirate either!"

"Look, I know how you feel," his tone had turned beseeching as he placed his hat once more upon his head, "but it was just a bottle of sake. Nothing to get worked up over." My brother ignored him and instead began stomping his way towards the door. I hopped from my stool instantly, intent on following. No way was I going to let him go anywhere alone when he was this mad, especially if those bandits were still around. As he passed by Shanks grabbed his arm, intent on stopping him from leaving. "Oh, c'mon, Luffy, don't go."

"I don't want to see you again, coward!" With that my brother continued marching forward. Silence descended once more as everyone watched in disbelief. It took Luffy about seven steps to realize that everyone had gone quiet and he turned to find out why only to discover that Shanks still had a hold on his wrist, his arm stretched out impossibly between the two.

Now, it's common knowledge to anyone with even a passive liking of the manga that Luffy is a rubberman and is able to stretch his body to ridiculous lengths. But knowing, and even seeing it via manga or anime, is far _far_ more different than seeing it in real life. I could understand now why everyone had had such strong reactions to seeing it for the first time. Because the image of someone's limb stretching out that far was _not normal_. In fact, the sight of it was kind of gruesome.

Spit-takes were happening all over the bar as they all finally realized that yes, they were actually seeing what they were seeing.

"His arm...it's stretching!" Shanks yelled out over the sudden noise. "That's..."

"It's missing!" Lucky Roo had practically dived for the chest at the bar and now held it up for all to see. It was, indeed, completely empty. "The Gomu Gomu no Mi we took from the enemy isn't here!"

Luffy, for his part, was completely freaking out. I kind of felt like freaking out myself at the sight of him. I might not be surprised like everyone else was but I still felt a bit disturbed. My brother had been _changed._ On a molecular level. And I'd let it happen. Knowing that I was at least partly guilty for this happening finally prompted my frozen limbs forward once more and I wasted no time in reaching my brother's side. I got there at just about the same time as Lucky Roo who was holding a sketch pad bearing the hastily drawn image of the Devil Fruit.

"Luffy, did you eat this?" He demanded.

"Ah, yeah...I thought it was desert." My brother explained weakly. "It tasted awful, though."

Before anyone could blink, Shanks had lifted my brother into the air by his ankles and began shaking him vigorously. "Spit it out, you idiot! Spit it out!" After a moment of this Luffy's legs simply stretched until he hit the floor face first.

"Hey, knock it off!" I demanded as I quickly lifted him up from the ground. Shanks had released his hold and instead had slumped back against the counter. He looked really tired all of a sudden.

"That fruit was the Gomu Gomu no Mi, one of the Devil Fruits. It's one of the rarest treasures on the sea," he explained, obviously trying to impart on us the gravity of the situation. Then he turned a glare on Luffy, looking every bit the scolding parent that Makino had looked not more than an hour ago. "Whoever eats it will turn into a rubberman and will never be able to swim again!"

"What!" Luffy yelled out, eyes widening to a comical size. "You've gotta be kidding, right?!"

"You idiot!"

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It hadn't taken long for Luffy to come to grips with his new body. He bounced back quickly just as he always did. He was of the mind that there wasn't anything he could do to change what had happened and so there wasn't any reason to dwell on it. His ability to take things in stride and continue to move forward was actually quite admirable no matter how simple-minded he came across as when he said it.

Our first stop after we'd left the bar that day was the bay. Luffy had wanted to have a go at swimming even after Shanks had told him he'd never be able to swim now. In fact, the captain's certainty seemed to only make him more determined to try. I didn't have the heart to tell him no and there was no way in hell I was letting him go alone. I'd wadded into the surf first. Luffy had hesitated a bit before following. The effect of the sea on him was instant. The moment the water touched his foot he went limp and fell to the sand in a heap. I'd been at his side as quickly as possible and wasted no time in dragging him as far away from the waves as I could.

We hadn't tried that a second time.

He'd been as disappointed at never being able to swim as I knew he'd be and it had been pretty heartbreaking to witness. His shoulders had slumped in abject defeat knowing that all of his hard work would be for nothing. It'd been even worse when Shanks and his crew had left the next day. Mad as Luffy was at the captain he'd still wanted desperately to go with them. Not being able to swim meant he definitely wouldn't be able to.

I'd done all I could to comfort him, from staying constantly by his side to giving him my portion of the cookies Makino had baked. He'd moped straight through until bed time where he'd curled up tight beside me and clutched my hand near desperately. Come morning, though, he'd been bouncing around the kitchen with his usual smile on his face. He was still bummed that he'd never be able to swim, he'd explained when Makino had asked, but there wasn't any point to being sad about it forever so he wasn't going to be. That had earned him a smile and hug from me and an extra cookie from our caretaker.

It'd been about a week since then and Shanks still hadn't returned. I wasn't worried as their trips would often take a week or two if not longer but I did miss them. Luffy did too, I could tell, though he insisted he didn't because he was still mad.

"Luffy," I sounded just as exasperated as I felt, "it wasn't that he _couldn't_ fight, just that he _didn't_. What would fighting have proved? He knew he was stronger than those bandits and his crew knew it, too. And those bandits might have insulted him and dumped food on him but they hadn't hurt anybody. Fighting wouldn't have done much of anything."

My brother's face scrunched up at me. "It's about pride! You wouldn't understand, you're a girl!"

"What did you just say?!"

Needless to say my attempt to get through my brother's thick skull had soon devolved into the literal interpretation of the saying. After Makino had finally separated our brawl and scolded us both I'd harrumphed at Luffy's pouting face, spun on my heal and marched steadfastly away from him. Just because I was a girl didn't mean I didn't understand pride, or strength, and to hear my twin of all people imply such a thing hurt more than I wanted to admit. I was used to others, even Gramps, saying that I was a girl and so should act in certain way. But Luffy never had before. To Luffy I wasn't a girl, I was Lily. And that was that.

But apparently it wasn't.

Feeling angry and hurt I made my way to the docks, ignoring the greetings of the townspeople as I passed them. Rude, maybe so, but better than snapping at someone who didn't deserve it. And in the mood I was in I would definitely snap.

I plopped onto the wooden dock as soon as I'd walked to the end. I watched the waves as they calmly lapped towards the shore, nothing like the emotions churning away in my gut.

It wasn't like it was anything new. It wasn't even just this world, either. I remembered in the other world how rampant sexism had been. It usually wasn't anything said outright, just comments made here and there. About how I should be more ladylike, more feminine, more _gentle_. I shouldn't cuss and shouldn't show off when I was better than others. I shouldn't worry about things like a _career_ when I should be focusing more on finding a husband and settling down. My youth wouldn't last forever, you know, and didn't I want to have kids one day?

I scoffed, even now. If a woman wanted to be feminine or gentle or a housewife or whatever then more power to them. But that wasn't me, had never been me. I'd been the girl who cussed like a sailor and got tattoos and wasn't afraid to tell someone to fuck off. I'd never wanted kids, not even after my sister had had one of her own. I'd loved that kid to death, had practically raised him right alongside my sister and wouldn't trade that time with my nephew for the world. But it had only proved to me further that I didn't want kids of my own. And that shouldn't have been a reason for others to look down on me or to think me any less of a person. But they had, even the ones I'd considered family.

With the way that I'd grown up feeling like I was trapped with no way out, helpless and forced to endure, it had been quite the hit to finally reach the freedom of adulthood only to realize that I would never escape from the expectations of others or the insults that followed when I couldn't meet them.

Coming to this world hadn't been much different. I got to grow up with Makino who honestly didn't care what I did so long as I was happy doing it. She treated Luffy and I the same and never tried to emphasize our difference in gender. If I wanted to be rough and indelicate then that was fine. Gramps had almost not included me in his _training_ simply because I was a girl. He'd fought against and beside many strong women so it wasn't that he thought I couldn't be strong. Simply that it seemed to dawn on him more that I was young and weak than it did with Luffy, simply by virtue of him being a boy. Any sane person probably would have let it go if it meant not being dumped into the forest at five years old but not me. I'd told him to take his chivalry and _shove it_ because if Luffy was going then I sure as hell was, too. He'd gotten a pretty good laugh out of it before hitting me with a Fist of Love and commanding that I watch my language.

The townspeople were nice and tended to just roll their eyes fondly when Luffy and I went running by covered in muck. But it was still a small town with old-fashioned values and so there were still pointed comments here and there about how I acted. The worst of the bunch was definitely the Mayor who continuously insisted that I behave better lest I shame myself irrevocably. He wasn't saying it to be mean, I knew. But that didn't make it any easier to hear.

And then there was Luffy. Luffy, who was my twin, my other half, the sun that I revolved myself around. He'd never once judged me or called me out on my behavior, never once demanded that I act a different way or conform to what others expected of me. As long as I was Lily that was all that mattered to him, not if I was a girl or a boy.

Until now.

I sighed and allowed my shoulders to slump. I was probably getting more worked up over this than was necessary. I knew my brother and he would've never said what he did if he knew how much it would hurt me. He probably had no clue what he'd done to get me so upset so there really was no point in getting so mad. I'd explain it to him later and that would be that.

Calm now and finally resolved on my next course of action I went to stand before noticing a ship was slowly but steadily making it's way to port. It'd be here in less than fifteen minutes, surely. I grinned when I was able to make out the figures bustling back and forth on deck, excited at the fact that Shanks was finally back. I had to go get Luffy now so we could meet them when they docked, as we always did. Even if he was still angry he'd still be excited.

I had just turned to run back into the village when I was hit by a sudden thought and froze.

Shanks was back.

In the manga Shanks had returned to find an empty shore. He and his crew had ventured into the village, curious as to why no one had come to greet them, only to discover that the mountain bandits had returned and had captured Luffy, brutalizing him in the streets for all to see. If that was still the case, if nothing had changed, then...

Then while I had been here feeling sorry for myself my brother could be having the shit beaten out of him in the street. The thought turned my insides to ice.

I had to get to Luffy, _now_.

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I arrived to find the mountain bandits all grouped in the middle of the road, the leader holding Luffy up by his stretching cheek. The villagers were there as well, but were hiding behind fences and buildings, clearly not wanting to bring attention to themselves.

"Shouldn't we do something?" I heard one of them ask, voice shaking with fear and guilt.

"But they're bandits! We could get killed! Besides, Luffy messed with them in the first place!" Another argued. His words had me seeing red for a moment, unprepared for the absolute rage that consumed me.

"He's also a _kid_ ," I hissed at them all, causing them to jump, some even yelping in shock as they spun to face me, not having known I was there. "And each and every one of you is a spineless sack of shit."

I left them gaping as I continued forward. I could hear Luffy yelling out, demanding to be released, as Higuma simply waved him around and commented on how odd my brother's body was. And then, without further ado, he slammed Luffy to the ground. I was at my brother's side before he'd even stopped rolling, helping him to sit up while sending my most hateful glare towards the man that had thrown him.

"A different type of human, huh?" Higuma mused, not at all concerned over my presence. And I really couldn't blame him. This guy was weak, a small fish in a large pond, but I was still just a seven-year-old kid. There wasn't much I could do to him. A grin suddenly spread across his face. "If I were to sell him to the circus I'd probably make a lot of money."

Before I could stop him Luffy had darted forward, rushing the bandit while brandishing a large stick.

"Luffy, no!" I called after him but it was too late. I could only watch as Higuma lifted his foot and slammed my brother into the ground.

"We were only having a good time, drinking and talking," Higuma spoke blandly even as he smashed my brother's face into the dirt with his boot. "Did we say something that pissed you off?"

"Yes, you did!" Luffy yelled immediately. I fought the urge to sigh. Either he didn't realize just how much danger he was in or he just didn't care. Likely the latter, knowing him. "Apologize right now, dammit! Now move your damned foot you damn bandit!"

Luffy had always had a pretty tame vocabulary, never cussing much even when I did so all the time. Shanks' crew had clearly been a horrible influence.

"Let the child go!" The Mayor's voice called out as he made his way towards us, Makino following determinedly behind him. I had wondered where she was. It made sense. None of the useless bystanders were likely to think of getting him. "Please!"

Without an ounce of hesitation the man dropped to his knees and bowed until his forehead hit the ground. "I don't know what Luffy did and I don't want to argue with you. But I'm willing to pay! So, please let the child go!"

I couldn't help but be amazed. I'd always known the Mayor cared for my brother and I in his own gruff way. But I'd never thought he'd cared that much, enough to bow low to a bunch of criminals and beg. He'd even offered to pay! This was a small village and no one here had much. To offer what little he had...

"As one would expect, it's the elders that know how to properly deal with any situation. But it's too late. You can't save this little brat now because he makes me angry. And when a weakling like him insults me," here Higuma lifted his leg and proceeded to stomp on my brother's head, "it makes me so angry."

"No, stop!" I cried out, even as Luffy delivered more insults. Before Higuma could bring his foot down again I rushed forward and flung myself over his back, taking the hit that was meant for him. I couldn't help the yelp that escaped me as pain erupted on my back. I could feel Luffy instantly go still below me in reaction to the sound.

It wasn't logical, what I'd done. Luffy was made of rubber, now, and blunt attacks wouldn't hurt him. Being stomped on was more of an annoyance for him than anything. But sitting there and watching as his face was smashed into again and again, there was no way I could've just sat there and done _nothing._ Stupid, yeah, but also instinct. And protecting my brother was an instinct I wouldn't ever deny or ignore, no matter how foolish.

"Fine, I won't sell you," I heard Higuma's voice from above us and the sound of a sword being drawn. Dread settled into my stomach like a stone. Rubber or not, a blade could cut right through my brother. And I wouldn't be much of a shield against that. "I'll just kill you."

I could hear both the Mayor and Makino call out, our caregiver sounding like she was about to follow my example and throw herself on top of us and damn the consequences. Thankfully it never came to that.

"I was wondering why no one welcomed us at the port. So this is why, huh?" I could've cried from the amount of relief I felt at hearing Shanks' voice. "Hey, you guys are the bandits from before!"

I looked up finally to see him standing between Makino and the Mayor, hand firmly grasping the hilt of his blade even as he continued on in a pleasant tone. He sent a smirk towards my brother who was still laying beneath me.

"What's the matter, Luffy, I thought you said your punch was as strong as a pistol?"

"Sh-shut up!" Luffy yelled back instantly, though he made no move to get up. Instead his hand had come up to grasp at my shirt, holding me solidly in place. Neither of us had ever dealt well with seeing the other in pain.

"Pirate," Higuma spat, sneer firmly in place even as Shanks began to saunter forward. "Why are you still here? Are you going to clean the whole town this time? I'd suggest you leave right now. If you don't I might have to open fire on you, you coward."

Shanks made no move to stop or even slow down, just continued forward with a congenial smile even when one of the bandits shoved a pistol in his face.

"Hey, didn't you hear the boss? Do you wanna get shot?" As one the bandits began to laugh and jeer.

"Well, now that you've drawn your gun, I guess we'll have to fight," the red-haired man informed them cheerfully. "You shouldn't use something like that to scare people."

Without further ado a shot rang out and the bandit fell to the ground, blood and brain bits splattering around him, revealing Lucky Roo with a pistol in one hand and a hunk of meat in the other. I couldn't help but feel a bit nauseous at the sight. I'd never seen anyone die, after all, let alone literally have their brains blown out. I could feel Luffy shudder beneath me, clearly as uncomfortable with the sight as I was.

The mountain bandits were in an uproar instantly.

"Dammit, you bastard! Now you've done it!"

"That was dirty!"

"Dirty?" Ben's voice called out as he stepped forward, coming to a stop once he'd reached his Captain's side. "Are you stupid? Do you think we're saints or something?"

"The people standing in front of you," Shanks called out, grin conforming into a smirk, "are _pirates_."

"Shut up! This isn't any of your business!"

"Listen well, bandits," the captain continued, not paying any mind to the men who yelled out. "You can whip food and sake at me. You can even spit on me and I'll just laugh it off. But..." His face became dark, darker than I'd ever seen it, even when Luffy had tried to touch his hat when we'd first met. "I don't care what reasons you have! I won't forgive anyone who messes with my friends!"

"Shanks..." Luffy whispered below me, eyes blown wide in wonder. He was finally getting what I'd been saying earlier, finally realizing that Shanks wasn't weak or a coward. He just simply hadn't had a reason to fight a pointless battle. Now he did and so he was.

Above us, Higuma burst out into laughter. I couldn't help but grunt as his foot dug deeper into my back. " _Won't forgive_? You bunch of pirates who do nothing but float on a ship all day want to challenge us? We'll destroy you!"

Without another word his men ran forward, weapons held aloft. None of Shanks' crew looked intimidated as they were rushed at. In fact, they looked pretty unimpressed.

"Let me deal with this. I can handle them myself." Ben's words and actions were calm as he took one last drag from his cigarette but I could see the anger burning in his eyes. My brother and I might have been closest to Shanks, having spent most of our time with the captain, but Ben was easily our second most favorite. He'd always been fond of us, looking on in exasperation at our mischief and helping us with any problems we might have had. He was used to dealing with his captain, who at times was nothing more than an overgrown child himself, so he had no problem dealing with us as well. To see us on the ground and underfoot had clearly pissed him off.

The fight, if it could be called that, lasted barely a minute. The Red Hair Pirate's First Mate hadn't even fired his riffle, merely used it as a bludgeon as he dealt with the bandits easily. He wasn't even the least bit out of breath when he was finished. He just calmly lit another cigarette as he aimed his gun at Higuma, who'd frozen at the sight of his men being taken down with such ease.

"Don't overestimate yourselves, bandits. If you wanna fight us, you better get a fleet of marines to back you up."

"Wow." I breathed and felt Luffy nod below me in agreement. There were probably stars in both of our eyes but I didn't care. Ben was a _bad ass_.

"Ah, wait a minute!" Higuma called out, voice shaking as the situation finally seemed to sink in. "This little brat messed with us first!"

"Doesn't matter," Shanks replied calmly, face entirely blank. "Besides, you've got a reward on your head, don't you?"

I didn't see what the mountain bandit leader's response to that was but the next thing I knew the area was covered in an explosion of smoke and I was being shoved off and away from my brother.

"Come here, you brat!" I could hear Higuma growl out even as I tried desperately to crawl back to Luffy's side. I couldn't see anything, though, and soon began coughing too much to even move by feeling my way.

"Let go of me!" I could hear Luffy call out but he sounded far away, and seemed to only be getting further. When the smoke cleared a moment later, pushed away quickly by the sea breeze, both Luffy and Higuma were nowhere in sight.

"No, no, no, nononono," I began to mumble to myself. I couldn't believe I'd let this happen! I knew! I knew Higuma was going to take Luffy, I should've been prepared for it! I should've gotten Luffy away from him when I'd had the chance, or at the very least tricked the bandit into taking me instead! Dammit, why was I so _stupid_?

"Oh, no!" I could hear Shanks panicking behind me. "We got careless and he took Luffy! What should we do?!"

"Calm down, Captain!" Lucky Roo yelled. "We'll split up and find him!"

"Right, right," Shanks took a deep breath and then put his Captain Face on. "Lucky, you and Yasopp take a group and go towards the forest. The rest of you fan out and search the rest of the village."

The men went to their task instantly. Shanks looked like he was about to begin searching the village as well, but that wasn't right. Higuma had taken Luffy to the docks and was going to set sail, thinking no one would ever suspect a bandit to head to the sea. He was right about that, of course, but only because everyone was giving his intelligence far too much credit, apparently.

But Shanks was supposed to find them. If he was looking in the village, though, it might take too long. What if it took too long? What if my brother was eaten by the sea king? What if my brother _drowned_?

"Those bandits came into the bar earlier and began insulting you," Makino was explaining to the captain quietly, tears flowing in a steady stream down her face. "Luffy just began demanding that he take his words back and that he not insult you or the rest of your crew. He was so mad at them. And then... and then they-"

"Hey, I'll find him, I promise," Shanks' voice was gentle as Makino burst into sobs, his hand placed on her shoulder in comfort. Makino looked like the world had ended, like Luffy was already _dead_ -

"He went towards the docks!" I yelled desperately as I latched onto Shanks' coat. I hadn't even realized I'd moved. His hand other came down to rest on my head as he regarded me seriously, Makino looking down towards me as well, hope beginning to shine through in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" I couldn't do more than nod vigorously, my eyes already brimming with tears. My brother could be dead by now for all I knew. Of course I was sure. "Alright then."

Without waiting another second the captain made his way towards the docks quickly, having absolute faith in my word. The thought of this, that he trusted me so much, was my breaking point and a sob escaped my throat. A felt another hand come to rest on my head and looked up into the calm face of Ben.

"He'll get your brother, don't you worry," the man assured me gently, bending to kneel so that we were more level.

"I know, I know he will," I blubbered, and I did. Even without my foreknowledge I would know that Shanks would do whatever he had to to rescue my brother. "But what if he's too late? What if-"

"You can't think like that," the first mate commanded and I could feel my posture straighten in response to his tone. "You can only have faith that he will get there in time."

I nodded silently as I rubbed my arm roughly against my face, determined to get rid of my tears. I'd never been much of a crier in my past life, even when I'd been at my lowest. Ever since I'd lived here, though, it seemed like I could cry at the drop of a hat sometimes. I didn't know if it was because I was in the body of a child or because I was exposed to Luffy on a daily bases, who was the very definition of _open book_. I didn't regret being open with my emotions, especially since I knew just how much it helped my brother feel not so alone, but that didn't mean it wasn't annoying at times.

"Come on," Ben continued to speak gently but it didn't annoy me. He wasn't doing it because I was crying. He might look like a stern and cold man but in reality he was pretty soft-hearted. He was definitely the resident mother hen of the Red Hair Pirates and I'd begun to wonder if that had to be a defining trait of first mates, looking scary while actually being a gigantic teddy bear. The moment he met my brother and I his protective instincts had activated immediately. "Let's go wait by the shore for them, alright?"

I agreed instantly and we began to make our way towards the water. Makino joined us after bundling me into a hug that nearly squeezed all of the breath right out of me. Even after she'd released me, she'd taken ahold of my hand and hadn't let go since. I didn't mind. The proof that our caregiver was there and that I wasn't alone was extremely reassuring and was probably the only thing keeping me sane at the moment.

We got there just as Shanks was pulling Luffy up out of the water. I rushed forward and instantly threw my arms around my brother, not at all ashamed at the sobs that escaped me at the sight of him here and _alive_. Luffy gripped me back just as tightly, sobbing himself. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't in relief like mine were.

"Sh-Shanks... his a-arm... it's..." Luffy was stuttering and all at once reality crashed back down. My brother was safe and alive, it was true. But that didn't mean everything was okay now.

My gaze shot straight to the red-haired captain who I only just noticed was still slumped at our side. His hat was shading most of his face but his breathing was haggard and his body was tense in obvious pain. Ben was already kneeling at his side and ripping his own shirt apart in order to tie off the wound and hopefully lessen the bleeding a bit. The first mate's face was more blank than I'd ever seen it. Makino still stood where she'd been, hand covering her mouth and eyes wide in horror.

"You... you gave up your _arm_ ," I breathed out as I took in the gruesome sight. The captain's once white shirt was drenched and soaked through with red. The tatters that remained of his sleeve covered up most of the wound but it was still visible. I could see a flash of white amongst the shredded flesh that my brain not so helpfully supplied was probably his bone. "You gave it up to... to save my brother."

"It was just an arm," Shanks was clearly trying to go for nonchalant. And I could see, even in the amount of pain he had to be in, he didn't regret it. Not one bit. He'd let his arm be ripped off by tiny sea king in Nowhere East Blue all to save a little kid and he regretted not one bit of it.

"Thank you," I finally was able to get out around my renewed tears. This was what happened before and I shouldn't have been so surprised. But this man had given his _arm_ to save my brother's life, was even now bleeding onto the ground, and he didn't even seem to want gratitude for it. He'd done it because he cared about Luffy and he needed no other reason and no thanks for it, either. My hero worship of before paled in comparison to this. I was quite honestly in _awe_ of this man.

"It wasn't a big deal. You're both alive and okay and that's really all that matters," he continued to insist. I could see him start to sway a bit, probably due to the blood loss. I wasn't afraid of him falling, though. With Ben at his side that would never happen.

"Shanks," he blinked at the seriousness in my tone, giving me his full attention at once. "You saved my brother's life. _Thank you_."

I had to fight to untangle myself from Luffy as neither of us wanted to let the other go. But eventually I did and wasted no time in dropping to my knees and bowing until my forehead touched the ground. I knew I didn't have to do this, that Shanks would've accepted a simple thanks and been content, wouldn't have even needed that much. But he had saved my brother and I was so damn grateful I couldn't even put it into words. So, I'd put it into action instead.

" _Thank you._ "

I lifted my head when I felt Shanks grab hold of the end of my braid and tug lightly. When I met his gaze he was smiling widely at me, the lines of pain momentarily erased from his face. Ben was smiling too, his face growing even more fond when Luffy immediately reattached himself to me and I gripped him back automatically.

"You're welcome, Spitfire. You're welcome."

.

* * *

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The day Shanks and his crew left dawned bright blue and sunny.

Luffy and I stood side by side as we watched the crew load up their ship, carrying crate after crate. After what they had done, neither Makino nor the Mayor had spared any expense in making sure they had all they needed.

"Are you really going this time?" I asked, unable to completely keep the disappointment out of my tone.

"Yep, we've stayed here long enough," Shanks answered easily. His Jacket was draped over his left arm, completely covering it from view. I knew that it was less because he was hiding it and more that he didn't want us to see it and be reminded of exactly what he'd given up. He might not regret it but we sure as hell did, Luffy because he'd been the one Shanks had given it up to save and me because I'd known it was going to happen and still hadn't been able to stop it. If I'd warned him, told him what I knew, would things have gone differently? Before I could dig myself too deep into thoughts like that Shanks turned towards us with an impish grin. "Are you sad?"

"Yeah," Luffy admitted easily while I nodded as well. We were sad because the Red Hair Pirates had become like family to us. And now they were leaving and we probably wouldn't be seeing them for a very long time. "But I won't ask you to take me with you. I'll become a pirate on my own."

"Like I'd take you anyways," Shanks stuck his tongue out, completely unable to stop himself from antagonizing my brother even now when they were about to set sail. "You don't have what it takes to be a pirate!"

"Yes, I do!" Luffy yelled back instantly, his fists balling up at his sides. I held my breath, very much aware of the history that was about to be made. "One day I'll find myself a crew that's as strong as yours! And then I'll find the world's greatest treasure! I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

"Oh, so you're going to surpass us, huh?" Shanks asked, pride evident in his smile. Slowly, he removed his hat, gazing at it fondly before placing it solidly on my brother's head. "Then this is my gift to you."

The brim had slipped down, far to large on Luffy's head, and covered the top half of his face completely from sight. Even then I could see the tears that were streaming down his face.

"This hat means more to me than anything else in the world, you know, so you better take care of it. When you become a great pirate in the future, you'll return that hat to me, okay?" Without waiting for a response Shanks turned towards me, his remaining hand held out towards me. In his grasp was a sheathed Jambiya knife, adorned in gold. I took it from him robotically, my face a mask of pure surprise. It was much heavier than I thought it would be and I clutched it close to be sure I wouldn't drop it. "Captains tend to get into quite a bit of trouble and Luffy'll probably get into more than most. Watch his back and help him get to the top, eh, Spitfire?"

I nodded instantly, my confusion solidifying into hard determination. I'd already decided long ago that I was going to follow my brother to the ends of the earth. Recent events had only solidified that resolve. "Of course I will!"

"I don't doubt it," he assured me, completely believing in both of us. He had faith that we'd reach our dreams. He didn't doubt it for a second.

Without another word Shanks stood and made his way to his ship. There were no goodbyes because that wasn't what this was. We'd meet again, one day.

As the captain began shouting orders to raise anchor and set sail from this island for the last time I reached over and grasped my brother's hand in my own. He squeezed back, wordlessly letting me know that he understood what I was feeling.

Yeah, we'd see Shanks again. Definitely.

.

* * *

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 **A/N: Hooooooo boy, this chapter got long. Almost ten thousand words! I almost broke it up into two but ultimately decided against it. Still, though, I think this is the longest chapter I've written for a story in a _long_ time. **

**Anyway, so there's the end of the Shanks arc! What'd you guys think?**

 **I've always been fond of knives. Knives are my second most favorite type of weapon, behind bows and arrows, of course. For this reason, and for what I have planned for Lily's character and spot on the crew, I've decided that her weapon of choice would be knives, starting with a jambiya. I wanted something unique and typically ornate looking. And so I went with this.**

 **Also, I've been writing this chapter practically nonstop for the last few hours and it's currently three in the morning. I have not proofread any of it. If you see any mistakes please let me know and I'll fix them immediately.**

 **Next chapter they'll be arriving at Mt Colubo. I have a lot of things planned for the next arc. I don't know when I'll get it to you but if the way I've been writing this story lately is any indication it'll hopefully be soon.**

 **Like always, thank you for reading and please follow, favorite or review! You're all amazing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Remember when I first started writing this and I was all "Yeah, there shouldn't be much need for trigger warnings, you'll just have to worry about language!"**

 **Hahahaha, yeah that lasted exactly no time at all.**

 **So, trigger warning, there's character injury in this chapter. And the care of said injury. It's not what I would call graphic. But I still want to warn for it just in case.**

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I loved my brother more than anything in this world or any other. But even I had to admit that he was the biggest idiot I'd ever met.

The day had started routinely with a big breakfast courtesy of Makino followed by a fishing trip by the docks. And then we'd seen the Marine ship on the horizon bearing a dog figurehead. We'd immediately tried to hide even though we knew it was futile. We couldn't help it. It was that indomitable _will to survive_ that had literally been beaten into us.

Gramps had found us almost immediately, of course, just as he always did. I didn't know if he was a gigantic cheater and was using haki or if he was really just _that_ good at hide and seek. With him it was hard to tell.

He'd begun chasing us the moment we were in his sight, brandishing the Fist of Love against us. He'd been furious to discover that Luffy had eaten a Devil Fruit but even that would've been fine. We'd had seven years worth of experience with his wrath, after all. No. No, the real trouble came when Luffy just had to open his big fat mouth. Like an _idiot_.

"I'm not gonna become a marine, shitty Gramps! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

"WHAT!"

And that, as they say, was when our fate was sealed.

And so here we were, dangling from our Grandfather's massive hands as he trekked through the jungle with us in tow. I knew this was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, Luffy had to meet Ace and Sabo eventually. And in the manga he'd been seven. So, really, this wasn't a surprise to me. I couldn't help but selfishly wish it didn't have to happen, though. Not because I didn't want to meet Ace and Sabo, or even the Dadan family.

It was that I didn't want to leave Makino.

It was stupid and childish and with how old I was, mentally, it shouldn't have been a problem. But. In my last life I'd never been able to rely on my mother the way I relied on Makino. She was the first person to ever take care of me simply because she wanted to and not because she was obligated to. And you best believe it had taken me a long time growing up in this world to become comfortable with the idea of being taken care of. And now that person I had grown to trust so much was being ripped away from me in a single day. And it hurt.

"I'm rubber, so why does this hurt?!" Luffy's whine cut through my bleak thoughts and dragged me back to the present. Gramps had taken a solid hold on the back of my shirt to carry me but he'd opted to pinch Luffy's cheek instead. Even now, hours after we'd begun this hike up the mountain, he was still slapping at Garp's leg, albeit weakly. "Let me go, Gramps!"

"You didn't bring any of our stuff," I informed our grandfather in a dull voice. "Not even our clothes. You didn't plan this at all."

"Of course I didn't! I had planned for you both to be strong marines!" He rebutted instantly, giving me a solid shake as if I were an unruly puppy. "Leaving you in that lukewarm village was obviously a mistake! If you're gonna become strong marines then you've got to learn to survive!"

"And the training you've subjected us to before was for what, exactly...?" I knew it was stupid to provoke him but I was already in a horrible mood and try as I might I just couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my tone.

Thankfully, before he could respond with another shake or, god forbid, a Fist of Love, we broke through the tree line to find a large hut. Garp wasted no time at all in stepping to the front door and rapping his fist harshly against the wood. He seemed supremely unconcerned with the fact that Luffy's face was still dangling from said fist.

"Dadan!" He yelled out gruffly. "Get out here!"

Barely a minute had gone by when the door was yanked open, revealing the single most manly woman I'd ever seen. The fierce scowl that had been on her face disappeared rapidly at the sight of who awaited her, replaced instead by a look of terror. Her complexion had gone alarmingly pale. Not that I could blame her. Lu and I had pretty much the same reaction whenever Gramps was involved.

"G-Garp-san!" She stuttered out, almost chocking on her cigarette in the process. "Have you come to see Ace? The boy's already ten, you know, when are you gonna give me a break? I can't take much more of this!"

"Ten, huh?" Garp began to bellow out a laugh as he absentmindedly set Luffy and I free. My brother took off like a shot, excited to explore his new surroundings, and I followed diligently after him. I kept half an ear on the conversation behind me, though, wanting to know what exactly it was that was being decided for us. "I need you to take in two more."

"Two?! We can barely handle the one!" Dadan immediately protested, the men at her side echoing her. "Why should we have to take care of those brats as well?!"

"They're my precious grandchildren," Gramps answered simply, finger lodging into his left nostril. I cringed. I wish he'd never taught Luffy that disgusting habit.

"G-g-g-grandchildren?!" All three bandits jumped back and away, as if simply being near us could be fatal.

"Yep," he seemed completely oblivious to their terror even as he used it as blackmail against them. "So, you have two choices. Either rot behind bars or take care of these little runts. Don't forget that I'm keeping the marine's eyes off of your list of crimes, which numbers more than the stars!" And then he had the gall to burst into laughter. I had to admit that I felt a little bad for the mountain bandits as I watched them tremble and try desperately to think of a way to get out of this. But they were trapped and they knew it.

"Well, we don't want to be arrested," the tall guy admitted sheepishly.

"But," injected the shorter one, shudder running up his frame, "sometimes I wonder if the slammer's really worse than this."

"I'm already at my wits end with the other one!" Dadan pleaded, becoming more and more desperate. "And now you want me to take care of your two grandkids?! They're probably little monsters, too, just like _him_!"

It was at this point that my attention was stolen in the form of a giant loogey splatting solidly onto my brother's cheek.

"Spit! Gross!" He reacted immediately, trying to rub it off even as the slimy substance stuck to his hand instead. I shuddered in disgust at the sight, grateful that it hadn't hit me. "Who did this?!"

"Oh, Ace!" Garp turned his back on the bandits and steadily ignored their panic. I looked to where he was facing and had to stop myself from taking a step back.

I'd never seen anyone look so menacing before. Not Higuma, who'd wanted to kill us. Not Shanks, when he'd come to our defense. No one had ever, in either of my two lives, looked at me with such contempt and _hate_. To see it on the face of a ten-year-old just made it all the more disconcerting.

I knew Ace was in a bad way in the beginning and it wasn't like I could blame the kid. He'd grown up being constantly shit on, told day after day that his very existence was a sin, and his so-called caretakers had done nothing to try to dispel the notion. The things that had been said to him, about himself and his father, were appalling to say the least. And so the fact that he'd been turned into this cold, hateful shell of a person wasn't a surprise.

It was heartbreaking though.

As Gramps introduced us, demanding we get along, before turning back to the bandits and their dwindling arguments, I came to a decision. This kid was going to put us through hell, I knew. He wouldn't take kindly to being followed and would do everything in his considerable power to get us to back off. And it was going to be painful and grueling. It would be one of the hardest things I'd ever done, up until this point. But I was going to do it.

If it was the last thing I did, I was going to see Ace's shell of hate cracked wide open. I would see that smile he'd presented to Luffy in Alabasta, full of love and happiness and affection. I would see the pride he'd had in himself when he'd confirmed he was a part of Whitebeard's crew, the joy he'd had when he showed off the mark tattooed on his back for all the world to see.

He deserved it, and I was going to make it happen. And I knew Luffy would be right at my side, just as determined, even if right now he looked about ready to start a fist fight with the guy.

.

* * *

.

"I hate mountain bandits!" Luffy exclaimed, tongue sticking out of his mouth at the very idea of them. He was obviously picturing Higuma and his men just like I was.

"Sorry," I said sounding exactly the opposite, "but I do as well."

"Shut up, you brats! I'm already tired of you both!" Dadan yelled, vein throbbing in her forehead. She completely ignored the tall guy from earlier - I knew that I knew their names, _what were their names?_ \- who was trying to calm her down. "If you don't like it here then leave, go out there and starve!"

We'd been ushered inside not long after our Grandpa's abrupt departure. After things had been explained to the rest of Dadan's gang, a platter towered high with meat had been brought out. It had quickly turned into a bloodfest, men punching and kicking and even _biting_ in order to get every last scrap they could. Needless to say, Luffy and I got none of it.

"This is too little," my brother whined, hand holding the small bowl of rice he'd been given while he literally drooled at the meat on Ace's plate. My own stomach gurgled loudly at the sight but I stubbornly ignored it. "I want some of that meat, too."

"Listen, Ace caught this bison and shared it with us, meaning he can eat as much as he wants and not work. You two, on the other hand, are going to have a lot to do, starting tomorrow. You will clean, do the laundry, polish our weapons! You will rob, steal, swindle and even murder people!" She tore off a giant hunk of meat, chewing loudly and continuing before she'd even swallowed. I fought not to scowl at her. "And you will not tell Garp any of what we make you do here! One bowl of rice and one cup of water each, per day! Anything else you'll have to grow up and get yourself!"

"Okay." Luffy agreed easily, not looking in the least bit cowed. I shrugged along with him, almost snickering at the look on Dadan's face at our calm acceptance.

"Why would you agree so easily? You were supposed to cry!"

"Gramps would dump us in the jungle all the time," my brother informed her cheerfully. "I can eat worms, frogs, snakes and mushrooms all I want!"

"And I can make sure he doesn't kill himself in the process," I interjected, remembering how many times I had to keep him from doing just that.

"Yeah! We're gonna be pirates one day, ya know, so we have to be able to do at least that!"

I saw Ace stiffen from the corner of my eye before he shoved his empty plate away, getting to his feet in a single sharp movement and stalking away. Luffy was up on his feet immediately after, ignoring the bandits in favor of following the scowling boy out of the hut. He didn't stop to see if I was following. He probably wouldn't have minded much if I didn't, though he'd feel a bit lonely, probably. Twins we may have been, but there were times we went off on our own adventures.

We'd collectively decided, though, that things were much better when we were together. And besides that, I'd already made a vow to get through to Ace, hadn't I? I wasn't gonna be able to do that in this hut, cleaning my days away, that was for damn sure.

I shoved what little rice was left into my mouth, mentally berating myself for the action even as I popped up to my feet and followed them out. I could hear Dadan calling out behind us, obviously annoyed, but decided that I didn't much care. It wasn't important.

I was hot on my brother's heels as we followed Ace up a path away from the hut. The path was steep but well-worn, obviously frequently traveled. I could see him glare at us over his shoulder as he reached the top, clearly pissed that we were following him, just as I knew he would be.

"Hey!" Luffy called out to him, waving his arms in greeting. "I'm not angry about the spit anymore! It's not something to be angry about!"

I couldn't help but smile proudly at that even as apprehension twisted my gut at the sight of Ace kicking harshly at a large tree.

"Let's be friends! Where are you going?" Before he could get another word out, the tree trunk splintered at Ace's second kick, falling sideways to the ground and rolling downhill at us at a surprising rate.

"Son of a -" I didn't have time to do much more than grab onto Luffy's body before it crashed into us, splintering further on impact and slamming us violently into the ground. By the time everything was settled, I found myself on my back, Luffy splayed above me as what was left of the tree pressed down on both of us. I grunted, body pulsing like one giant bruise. Luffy looked more uncomfortable at the weight bearing down on him than anything, which made sense. Blunt impact wasn't going to do much. Though, I could see a few blood trails where shards of wood had obviously cut into him. I'm sure I looked just as bad, if not worse.

"Ah, you okay, Lili?" Luffy asked in a breathless voice, arms trembling as he tried to lift himself far enough for me to slither out from under him. I wasn't surprised at the use of his childish nickname for me. Unless the situation was truly dire it was the name he used the most. That in and of itself assured me that he was fine.

"Yeah," I muttered, wiggling to freedom. "Hurts a bit, but this is nothing compared to Gramps' Fist of Love."

"Shishishishi, you got that right!" He grinned as I finally escaped. I wasted no time in lifting the tree off of him in turn. It was much heavier than I'd thought it was and I had to admit that I was a bit impressed with his strength.

"C'mon, we'd better hurry if we wanna catch back up to him."

"Right! Let's go!"

With that we were off, following the trail once more. We ran at a steady pace, jumping expertly over tree roots as we went. Traversing through a jungle might not quite be second nature to us but that didn't mean we were novices, either. After all of those so-called training trips we'd at least learned how to run away from vicious animals well enough.

It didn't take more than ten minutes to catch up. Ace obviously hadn't been expecting us to get up so quickly, if at all. His face was a mask of surprise when he saw us step onto the rickety bridge behind him, before quickly morphing into anger. His grip on his pipe tightened as he stalked his way towards us, his intent quite obvious. Luffy did no more than stare him down even as he tried to catch his breath. I wasn't in much better shape as I watched the older boy get closer and closer, eyes turned into dark pools of rage.

There was no fanfare as he whipped his pipe at us, catching Luffy right in the head and sending him tumbling over the rope and into the ravine below. I didn't even have time to shout before that pipe swung back towards me, striking me in the upper arm. It might not have been as violent of a hit but that didn't mean there was any less strength behind the blow. I went tumbling down not even a second later into the darkness.

I had made a decision, and I was still firm in my resolve, but I had to admit that as I descended into terrifying free-fall I couldn't help but wish I had just stayed in that stupid hut.

The last thing I saw before the darkness of the ravine swallowed me whole was the sight of Ace turning and calmly continuing forward on his walk. He never once looked back.

.

* * *

.

The landing was not pleasant.

I had a feeling that if I was anything other than a Monkey, or maybe a descendant of D, I'd probably be dead. As it was I was sure as hell in a lot of pain, though not as much as I'd figured I would be.

I was laying face down and my head was bleeding, obviously having cracked against the ground, and the world was awash in trailing lights. For a second I wondered if they were bugs before I realized that they _weren't real_. My ears were ringing something fierce, it felt like gravity was seconds away from giving me up for a lost cause and what little food I had in my stomach was making itself known in roiling nausea. I had to have had one hell of a concussion.

That wasn't all I had. As the numbness of shock began to fade my left shoulder became a bigger and bigger ball of pain. Grunting, trying my best to ignore my dizziness and the resulting sick that tried to force it's way up to my throat, I slowly pushed myself up with my seemingly undamaged arm, twisting my head around to try and assess the damage.

I cringed, spotting it immediately. My shoulder was lumpy and elongated, the joint having obviously disconnected. The force of hitting the ground must have been enough to pop it out backwards. Even through the ball of pain I could feel numbness quickly spreading to the rest of my arm. That wasn't good. I couldn't pop it back in myself and I wouldn't want Luffy to do it either, but I had to at the very least get it into a make-shift tourniquet. Who knew how much worse the long-term damage could be otherwise?

"Luffy..." I tried to call out, only to cough as my voice came out as a wheeze instead. I immediately clamped down on my lip _hard_ , hard enough to feel blood well up and flow down my chin, in order to contain the shriek that wanted to break free. Okay, so jostling was definitely a no-go. Good to know. "Luffy!"

My voice came out clearer this time and echoed for a few seconds, bouncing off of the cliff walls. I wondered for a minute if I should really be yelling out like I was. I might get my brother's attention but I could also grab the attention of other, less savory things. Like wolves.

It was a chance I had to take though. It was either that or sit here quietly and hope Luffy would somehow find me on his own. Like hell I was gonna just lie here and do _nothing_. Besides, remaining silent didn't mean any potential beast wouldn't still be drawn by the smell of my blood.

"Luffy!" I continued to yell out every few minutes, letting my voice continue to echo as the rock walls took it farther and farther away. After awhile I tried to scoot over to one, so that at least my back would be protected. When my vision finally cleared what felt like minutes later I focused on my harsh breathing instead and decided not to try that again any time soon.

The ravine had become almost pitch black, the sun not being able to reach this far down any longer, by the time I finally heard my brother's echoing response. I grinned even as I continued to wince at the shocks of fire my spasming muscles shot through my shoulder and down my arm. I could honestly say I'd never been in this much pain before. I wasn't a fan.

After a few minutes of calling back and forth, like some sick version of Marco Polo, I finally heard the sound of Luffy's feet as he ran blindly in my direction.

"Stop running!" I yelled out in panic, knowing just where that would have gotten us, and the sound of his steps slowed immediately in response.

"Are you okay?" He yelled back, clearly hearing something in my voice.

"Not... really," I admitted through clenched teeth. "I messed my left shoulder up really badly. And I think I have a concussion."

"Contion?" Luffy asked, mangling the word. "What's that?"

" _Concussion_ ," I stressed the syllables, long used to his difficulty with vocabulary. "It's when you hit your head really hard. It makes you feel sick and dizzy and can even mess up your sight and hearing."

"That's not good," his voice had gone quieter, his steps transforming into a shuffling sound that I could only guess was him crawling his way towards me instead. I felt my heart warm at the act. He knew I was in pain and didn't want to accidentally cause me more by stepping on me. And head injuries meant that loud noises would make it hurt worse and so he was trying to be silent for my sake.

I really did love this kid more than anything in the world, any world.

"No, it's not," I agreed, matching my tone to his. "And I don't think we'll be able to do much until we can see again."

"So we either wait here," finally, so gently I barely even felt it, Luffy's hand landed on my hair and then followed the tangles of my braid until his palm rested lightly on the crown of my head, "or I help you walk until we get out of this place. We might be able to use moonlight if we can find our way out."

"I don't know if I can stand, let alone walk," I admitted, feeling shame well up in me strongly. Yeah, Luffy had an unfair advantage thanks to his Devil Fruit but it still burned to know that I was going to slow him down by being so weak. Helpless, I was _helpless_ , and I hated it.

"It's okay," he tried to assure me, stroking my hair lightly. He paused for a moment, sucking in a sharp breath when he found the wet stickiness of my blood, before determinedly continuing with the comforting gesture. "You're allowed to ask for help. It doesn't mean you're weak."

He knew me far too well. Knew how much I hated not being able to do something on my own, how much I absolutely loathed being forced to rely on others. I didn't mind getting help for most things, especially when it was from my brother. That wasn't the problem. The problem was not having a choice in the matter.

It honestly wasn't until this moment that I realized how much of a change I'd made on Luffy simply by existing. He'd always been smart in his own way, in the manga, would blurt out great insights and flashes of wisdom from seemingly nowhere before returning to his usual carefree, childish demeanor. And he was still carefree, was still childish. He could still be idiotic beyond belief at times. But those flashes, those insights, came far more often than they ever had before.

His vocabulary and grammar were better. He could understand difficult concepts easier so long as I took the time to explain them simply to him. He took care with the people around him now, at least he had with Makino and I, especially when injuries came into play. I could remember him in the manga stating that simply eating meat would cure Nami when she was sick, genuinely ignorant that most people didn't work that way. After the numerous bumps and bruises we'd received through training or rough playing, though, he knew that wasn't the case now. He never held back, didn't treat me like I was fragile or breakable, but I could clearly see that he was careful with me in a way he hadn't been with anyone in the manga.

Who knew, maybe it was just because I was his sister. But still. The change was there.

I heaved out a great sigh before drawing in a slow breath, lifting myself up as I went. Luffy's hands were instantly on my back and undamaged shoulder, helping and supporting as much as he could. Once I was sitting up I took a moment to just breathe and get my roiling stomach under control, willing the world to stop spinning around me.

"Did you get hurt?" I asked, breathless, just then realizing that I hadn't yet.

"I think I have a few more scratches but nothing bad."

I sighed in relief. While I'd known it was unlikely, hearing that he was unharmed was extremely comforting. "Okay. If you're up to it, I think you're going to have to carry me. I can try walking, if I need to, but..."

"It's okay." I felt Luffy's arm brush against me as he turned, presenting me with his back. I didn't let myself dwell on how humiliating it was and instead focused on the fact that it was _Luffy_. My shame was nothing in the face of my brother. Taking in one more deep breath I heaved myself up, wrapping my right arm around his shoulder while I cradled my left protectively between our bodies. I felt him grip the backs of my knees tightly and then he was standing up.

He wasted no time in stepping forward, although he went slowly so as to avoid tripping and stumbling. It took a few minutes for the world to solidify around me again. My brain was running sluggishly, like I had to force my thoughts through a tub of molasses just to get them to make sense. Therefore, it took longer than usual to calculate where we likely were and what direction we were going.

"Wrong way," I managed to slur out. I knew slurred speech was not a good sign.

Luffy turned around instantly, trusting my words even in my clearly befuddled state. He was quiet for a moment before promising, "We'll get out of here soon."

I hummed in response, closing my eyes and resting my head on the back of his. It was an awkward carry, since we were roughly the same height, but it was still leagues more comfortable than the hard ground I'd landed on. It wasn't until I felt myself begin to doze that I forcibly snapped myself into attention, unable to withhold the whimper that escaped when my shoulder began spasming once more.

"Lily?" Luffy stopped, turning his head as if he could see me. The concern and worry were plain in his tone.

"Don't let me fall asleep," I commanded. The slur was still there and seemed to only be getting worse. "No matter what. It's not good to sleep with concussions this bad."

"Why?" He wondered as he picked up the pace once more.

"I might not wake up." My answer was blunt and I could feel him shudder at the very idea of me falling asleep and never waking up again.

"No sleeping, then," his voice was suddenly sharp and full of command. It was the voice I'd only ever heard Shanks use before. It was a Captain's Voice.

"No sleeping," I agreed, the smile on my face strained but there. "Talk to me to keep me awake."

"Hmmm," Luffy thought for a moment. "What do you think about Ace?"

I was kind of surprised, though I supposed I shouldn't be. Luffy had always been intuitive when it came to people and I knew that ability would only grow as he got older and began sailing the world. He'd obviously already seen something in the older boy, underneath all that anger and hatred, that he felt was worth all of this. But to be asked my opinion as well?

"I think he's in a lot of pain," I whispered and he hummed his agreement, waiting for me to go on. "I think he was hurt a lot and that's why he's so mad."

"Me, too."

"Is that why you're trying so hard to be his friend?"

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed quietly, "you are, too, dummy."

"I suppose," I muttered. He had a point. "Does that mean we're gonna try again?"

"Of course!"

"Figures. Well, hopefully we don't fall down a ravine next time. I don't think my body could take it twice."

"I'll stay closer next time," Luffy decided. I could hear the determination in his voice. "That way I can use my Devil Fruit to help."

"I don't want you getting hurt to protect me." My voice was stern. He only laughed in response and I could do nothing but sigh. Once Luffy had made up his mind there wasn't much to be done to change it.

"How far do you think it is to the exit?" He asked, unsubtle in his subject change.

"Who knows? Hopefully not too far, tho-"

A series of loud growls cut me off and both of us froze in response. The snarling was seemingly coming from all around us and was steadily circling closer. Out of the blackness, the glare of glowing yellow eyes soon became visible as what were clearly wolves converged on us. Because of course.

"Mother _fucker_."

.

* * *

.

Escaping the wolves was definitely a trial. Thankfully, they seemed to be pretty starved, and so all they had was desperation instead of strength. And my brother and I had plenty of desperation, too.

That didn't mean we escaped unscathed, of course.

It was after sunrise before we finally managed to half-run, half-stumble our way out of the ravine and back into the jungle. I was on my own two feet again, a necessity what with how torn up Luffy had become in the fight with those beasts, but I was still hanging pretty solidly off of his shoulder. He would grunt and stumble under the weight every now and then but otherwise made no complaint.

As soon as we were able to see clearly I called a halt. I kept standing, knowing if i sat down for even a second I was unlikely to get up again anytime soon, and kept Luffy on his feet as well.

"Your shirt's in tatters, but we can still use it," I mumbled, tripping over words in my exhaustion. Luffy had no problem understanding me, though, and swiftly pulled what remained of his shirt off over his head, hiding a wince as he did so. The claw marks on his shoulder were still bleeding sluggishly and the action had to have pulled at them. I ripped a long strip from the bottom and then began ripping the rest into smaller pieces. With the smaller ones I began bandaging what cuts on my brother I could. I knew that this was beyond unsanitary but it was really the only option we had.

Once that was done I handed the longer strip to Luffy while keeping my left arm curled tight to my chest. "Here, take this. Wrap it around me. Make sure that my elbow is resting in it and then tie it at my shoulder. Tight enough to keep my arm still but not so tight that it'll dig it."

He followed my directions to the letter, though he couldn't quite get his hands to stop shaking. Once he was done we just stood there for a moment, side by side, and _breathed._ We'd made it out of the ravine alive. Now we just had to traverse the jungle and find our way back to the mountain bandits.

Piece of cake, right?

I sighed. "The sun just came up and it's on that side. We need to head north, which is this way."

"Wooooow," Luffy breathed, the stars in his eyes dimmed but still present. "You can tell just from the sun?"

"Hm," I confirmed with a hum. Gramps had gone over rudimentary navigation with us multiple times, every time he'd tossed us in for survival training, but I wasn't surprised it hadn't sunk in with Luffy. "The sun always rises in the east, which is that way, and sets in the west, which is that way."

"Why?"

"I dunno." I could've devolved into a scientific breakdown of it but, as much as Luffy tended to listen to me more than anyone else, there was no way I'd keep his attention through that.

"Ooooh," he punched the palm of his hand as if in sudden understanding. "It's a mystery sun."

"Yes, Luffy," I agreed dryly, knowing the tone would go right over his head. "It's a mystery sun."

"So cool!"

.

* * *

.

The trek through the woods wasn't quite a walk in the park but it was easier than our mad scramble through the pitch black ravine by far.

I remember in the manga that little Luffy had been missing for about a week after Ace had shoved him off of that bridge. So the fact that we stumbled our why to the hut's front door as the sun was just beginning to sink on the first day was surprising to say the least. And then I remembered how Luffy had almost gone the wrong way when we'd first started walking. And how he'd had no clue how to use the sun to navigate. He'd probably been stumbling around in circles the entire time he was missing before.

I sighed and quickly forced the thoughts from my sore brain. Not like it mattered now.

"Hey, it's Luffy and Lily! They're back!" One of the bandits announced as we made our way inside.

"What? They're still alive?!" Dadan's voice yelled, shrill, and I winced as it seemed to physically pierce into my head. She arrived in the room soon after, taking in our injured states with incredulity. I could sympathize a bit. We probably looked half-dead already. "Where were you?"

"Wolves chased us and we fell off a cliff," Luffy answered immediately, voice flat in exhaustion.

"Fell off a cliff?! What were you even doing there?!"

"Can you stop yelling, please?" I mumbled out, rubbing at my aching temple.

"Lily's hurt. Her shoulder is all funny." His voice clearly implied the ' _so do something_ '.

"It's dislocated," I informed, curling in on myself a bit.

Dadan sighed, long and drawn out and full of frustration. "Dogra! Patch these brats up and then send them to bad!"

"Yes, boss!" The short-statured man responded instantly - oh, so his name was Dogra - and quickly directed us towards the wash room at the back of the house. He pulled a large first-aid kit out of seemingly nowhere and set it out around us, laying out bandages and disinfectants and even needles and thread. "Alright, Lily, let's see that shoulder."

I was hesitant to let him near me, I felt like a cornered animal hiding it's wounds, and it was only Luffy's hand grasped in mine that kept me from running right back to the jungle. I stood stiff as he undid the knot on my shoddy makeshift tourniquet and complied wordlessly when he told me to sit. I kept a tight grip on my brother's hand as Dogra began prodding around the injury, sending new waves of pain flaring through me.

Finally, after what felt like an eon, he stood and grasped my arm right above my elbow while placing the other against my shoulder blade, clearly meant for bracing.

"This is going to hurt quite a bit," he warned me. I did nothing but nod. Of course it was going to fucking hurt. What did he think it felt like now? "Alright. On the count of three then. One... two..."

He never made it to three, instead yanking on my arm and then pushing, rotating it just so until it rolled back into place with a sickening _pop_.

The last thing I was aware of before darkness overtook me was the pain-filled shriek I was unable to contain, and the feeling of my brother's hands catching me as I fell.

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* * *

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 **A/N: I was so determined not to post anything until I'd at _least_ gotten more then just a couple reviews. Like, I wanted to wait until I got at least five. But no. This story is consuming me. I just want to write it all the time. Not that those few reviews I did get weren't amazing! Everyone who has reviewed so far has been extremely kind and encouraging and I appreciate it more than you could ever know!**

 **So, first off, I had debated on just zooming through the time period when Ace is being difficult and exceedingly violent. And I might do that in regards to the rest because if I write long chapters for each we're definitely going to be be here for awhile. But I wanted to at least write this one. For being together in literally every chapter, there hasn't really been much interaction between Lily and Luffy just yet. I wanted to change that.**

 **I also wanted to emphasize the fact that Lily's mere _existence_ is changing Luffy. Not to the point where he's unrecognizable. Luffy will always be Luffy. But now he's also a brother and, more than that, a _big brother_. It'll become more and more apparent that, as much as Lily adores Luffy, he loves her just as much. **

**Hopefully the changes are still in character for him, though? Are believable? Let me know what you guys think.**

 **So, anyway, favorite, follow or review, please! Fast as these chapters are coming out, they'd come out a lot faster if you guys gave me encouragement, I can promise you that.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I keep telling myself to wait awhile before I post more, instead of just posting it as soon as it's finished. But my will is weak. I'm sure none of you are complaining. I know I definitely will be when I finally hit a dry spell and have nothing saved in advance, though.**

 **There's violence in here, but nothing more than what's in the manga. The language in this chapter is pretty strong.**

 **.**

* * *

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I awoke to the sound of footsteps. They were quiet, made barely any noise over Luffy's snoring. As I wondered how I'd heard them at all they stopped just beside where my brother and I were laying.

It took a lot of restraint not to tense up or open my eyes. Whoever was standing there, I didn't want them to know I was awake. If they decided to attack I would probably need the element of surprise on my side. Instead I cautiously peeked through my eyelashes.

What I saw was a surprise to say the least.

Ace stood over us, looking down with an expression of complete confusion on his face, like he was trying to figure us out. I couldn't blame him for being so confused. He probably thought that after shoving us off of that bridge, and especially after causing me injury, we would be scared of him and back off.

After two days, though, I'd decided I was healed enough to begin trying again. My shoulder was still a bit stiff but otherwise felt fine. I thanked every deity I could think of for whatever crazing healing factor was in the Monkey DNA. And so, ignoring Dogra's " _medical opinion_ " and Dadan's frustrated shouts, Luffy and I had headed out into the jungle once more. To say Ace had been shocked, especially when Luffy began asking to be friends, would've been an understatement.

He still acted like a jerk, though, surprised by our resilience or not. In the weeks since we'd gotten here he'd definitely put us through hell, just like I knew he would. We'd been almost eaten by crocodiles, been the recipient of a landslide, strangled by anacondas. We'd been pecked by territorial vultures and tossed into a raging river full of what looked like piranhas. It was the first time I'd had to use the CPR skills I'd learned in my previous life and while I'd been thankful I still had them I hadn't much appreciated the situation.

Even just the previous day my brother and I had had the scare of our lives. We'd been getting pretty good at following Ace and dodging the various obstacles he put in our path. If nothing else, these ventures were teaching us how to roam the jungle like we'd been born in it. We'd been following him for a good two hours, a record high in progress, when he'd expertly scaled a rock wall and had disappeared beyond the ledge. We'd been just about to follow when a rustle in the bushes to our right had caught my attention.

And out prowled the biggest tiger I had ever seen in either of my lives. It was so large that my brother or I could probably fit comfortably inside of it's mouth, though that was a theory I very much _didn't_ want to test. From the moment it stepped into sight it's hungry gaze was on us, snarl twisting on it's snout.

Luffy and I had frozen instantly, the terror I felt unlike anything I could even describe. It was like my body was no longer mine and belonged solely to my fear. My heart was pounding so hard it had to have been visible and my breathing had turned into ragged gasps. What was this? I'd never been afraid like this! Not ever!

Just as it looked ready to lunge for us - _why? We were so tiny in comparison that we probably wouldn't even make a good snack,_ I thought a little hysterically - there was another rustle behind us. I didn't even have the presence of mind to begin cussing, because _really_ , when a second behemoth joined us in the clearing. This time it was a bear which towered above even the tiger. As we both stood there between them, uncontrollably shaking, the two beasts roared and then crashed into one another. Claws and teeth tore at fur and skin and before long blood was spreading on the ground before us.

This seemed to be what it took to finally snap us out of it and, as one, Luffy and I grabbed at each other's hand and _hauled ass_.

We didn't stop until we couldn't hear the sounds of their battle anymore. Once the forest around us was quiet again we collapse against each other, sucking in breaths almost desperately. We sat like that, in silence, for what felt like hours before suddenly my brother just started laughing.

"Shishishishi, that was a close one!" He continued to giggle. I stared at him, wide-eyed, and worried about possible shock. And then, because what the hell, _we almost just died_ , I began to chuckle along with him. Before long we had delved into full-blown hysterical laughter, tears running down both of our faces in mirth at the idea of what we'd just faced and survived.

Once we'd been able to calm ourselves down we had traversed back to Dadan's hut, giving the day of chasing Ace down up for a lost cause. We'd devoured our bowl of rice quickly before we'd flopped onto our shared blanket, exhausted from our adrenaline crash. We'd both been out in seconds.

And now, here I was, suddenly wide awake and greeted with the sight of the very boy we'd been trying so hard to catch looking at us like we were a particularly difficult puzzle.

Behind him I could see the rays of early morning sun streaming in. The sounds of dawn were beginning to filter in, too, and it wouldn't be long before Luffy was jumping out of bed and demanding we go find breakfast.

"Why?" Ace's voice was quiet, barely even a whisper. If I hadn't been paying such close attention to him I never would've heard it. " _Why_?"

He sounded almost desperate for an answer. For a moment I debated if I should feign waking up, if I should try talking to him so that I could give him an answer. Thankfully before I could the older boy huffed, shook his head in agitation and then stomped to the door, leaving without another sound.

I laid there for a very long time and pondered the enigma that was Portgas D. Ace. This incident had just strengthened my conviction to make the boy my friend.

As I'd expected it wasn't too long after that Luffy jolted into wakefulness. There was barely any transition time from him drowsily sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eye to jumping to his feet and running out with an excited cry of "FOOD!"

I sighed as I got up to follow at a more sedate pace. For some reason, today felt like it was going to be a day that changed everything.

.

* * *

.

We'd done it. We'd _finally_ done it.

My brother and I had lost sight of Ace awhile ago but it didn't matter anymore. Because finally, after months of searching, we'd made it to the edge of the jungle.

"What is this place?" Luffy asked, hand held up to shield his face from the sun. After a second he moved it to instead clamp down on his nose. "Oh, god, it stinks!"

And stink it did. Like trash and rot, all baked together. Which made sense, seeing as before us lay heaps and heaps of garbage. Smoke rose from them, the sun obviously having been hot enough to set more than a few things aflame. And scattered throughout were bodies, some living and some not, all of them filthy. It was hard to believe that a place like this could exist, where people had to live in trash piles, surrounded by things in various stages of decay. Even as we watched, a large man lunged forward with a knife and sliced right through another's throat, yanking a bag of possessions from the dead man as he did so. Without even a blink the guy walked away, casual as anything, leaving the new corpse where it had fallen to bake in the heat.

I shuddered at both the thought and the clear reality of it. This place looked like a literal hell.

"Ah, there!" Luffy's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He had grabbed onto my arm to get my attention, pointing to our right. Following to where he'd indicated, my gaze soon fell upon Ace, who was running back into a different section of the forest. Glad that we wouldn't have to enter the trash heap just yet, Luffy and I both quickly set out to follow the older boy once more.

When we'd caught up to him he was high up in a tree and looked to be counting money. Beside him sat a blond boy in a ratty top hat, his grin gaping with a missing tooth. This new kid was obviously Sabo. As we watched, the two grinned at each other as they bragged about how much money they'd made off with so far that day.

The sight of Ace's smile was enough to knock the breath out of me. It wasn't anything like the happy smiles I'd seen him give in the manga but it was far more than we'd seen up until that point. I'd take what I could get, honestly.

"Did you say pirates?" Luffy yelled out from beside me, causing me to jump alongside the two older boys. "We want to be pirates, too!"

"You idiot!" I hissed at him when I caught sight of their matching vicious looks. Luffy only cocked his head at me, confused as to why I was angry. As if he couldn't see the boys quickly descending the tree with the promise of violence on their faces.

The fight itself was pretty pathetic. Ace easily smashed Luffy's face into the ground, using his greater weight to keep him down. I tried kicking my way out of Sabo's hold but a solid hit to the shins with his pipe had left me smarting long enough for my brother and I to be tied to the tree.

"So these are those kids you were talking about?" Sabo was asking, scowl firmly in place, arms crossed and pipe held tightly in his fist. Ace looked just as pissed, hands on his hips as he stared down at us.

"You finally made it all the way here, huh?" His wording made it sound almost like praise but there was enough disdain in his voice to make up for it. "And you did it by using a path that even a human couldn't walk through."

"Hey, are you a friend of Ace?" Luffy asked, grin firmly in place despite the situation. "Let's be friends!"

"Why'd you tie us to the tree?" I couldn't help but ask. "It would've been easier just to tie us together or something..."

"Shut up!" Sabo yelled back, clearly annoyed with both of us. Their faces had both gone a bit red, though. Clearly just tying us together had never occurred to them. Sabo then turned his glare onto Ace. "And this is why I told you to just come live here with me! Your so called ' _Mountain Pass Training_ ' really bit you in the ass this time!"

"They know our secret... If we let them leave, they'll tell someone." Ace's face had grown increasingly menacing. "Let's kill them."

"I agree." Sabo's expression wasn't much better.

"What?!" Luffy yelled out, the gravity of the situation just now hitting him. He began twisting in the ropes almost desperately. "I didn't think you guys were gonna kill us! You can't!"

"Don't move, idiot!" Sabo yelled back, shoving Luffy's face into the massive trunk. My brother's wail was cut off as he clearly bit into his tongue.

"Hey!" I yelled out, kicking my feet futilely. "It's you're own damn fault! Don't take your stupidity out on others!"

"I told you to shut it!" Ace's pipe came crashing down on my head, causing lights to explode in my vision and my ears to ring. He hadn't swung it full strength, otherwise I doubt I'd still be conscious, but it sure as shit still hurt. By the time I was able to tune back in both boys were arguing over who had to kill us while Luffy continued to yell for help.

"Hey, I heard voices this way!" A man's voice called out in the distance. "Children's voices!"

"Shit," Sabo cursed, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Someone's coming."

"First, get the ropes untied. Then we have to get out of here, otherwise they'll find our treasure." As one the boys began unwinding the rope, moving swiftly. I couldn't help but be confused. Hadn't they just been yelling about killing us? Why save us now? Before I could ask, Luffy and I were both free and Ace was yanking me farther into the foliage by the arm. I could hear Sabo doing the same to Luffy and my brother was not going easily.

We'd just made into the cover of some nearby bushes when three men came into sight, two looking like they'd recently had the shit beat out of them. The third man was huge, not as big as Gramps but still an impressive size. His face looked like it was stuck in a permanent scowl, eyes narrow and mouth down-turned, and he strode forward with a massive blade clenched in his hand. I racked my brain, trying desperately to remember just what it was that was happening. Who was this guy? The knowledge had to be in my brain somewhere, dammit!

"Damn..." Ace was cursing, voice hushed. "That guy was a part of Bluejam's crew? I've got some seriously dangerous money here."

"That's Porchemy." _Porchemy, Porchemy, I knew that name, who was it?_ "That guy's crazy! He scalps his opponents!"

"Lu," I turned towards where my brother had been only to find empty air. Dread pooled in my gut instantly. "Luffy!" I began hissing, spinning in rapid circles, desperate to catch a glimpse of him. Ace and Sabo noticed my frantic search and began freaking out as well, if for different reasons.

"Let me go, damn you!" My brother's voice rang out and I whipped towards the sound immediately, only to find him trapped in the grip of the supposedly crazy Porchemy. "Lily! Ace! Help me!"

"Shit!" Both boys yanked me down with them as they dove for cover. "He said my name! That idiot!"

"Let go!" I began struggling. Luffy was yelling for my help. Useless or not I wasn't going to just ignore him. "Let go of me!"

"Did you just say Ace?" I guessed it was Porchemy who asked. "Do you know him?"

"Ace is my friend!" Luffy yelled back, defiant. "Though, I guess he did just try to kill me..."

"I'm going to ask you one thing." The man's voice had become a dangers kind of calm. "Today he took our money and ran. Do you know where it is?"

"No! They'll find our treasure!" The menacing glare had returned to both of their faces.

"He better not say a word!" Ace snarled out, hand tightening as it held me down. I snarled right back at him, causing him to jump in surprise.

"That's my brother you're talking about, you spineless sacks of shit," I hissed out at them. "You wanna protect your damned money so badly, do it your goddamned self!" With that I shoved an elbow into Ace's ribs. He yelped, clearly not expecting it, and his grip loosened in response. I took the chance for what it was and darted away from them and back towards my brother, ignoring their whispered threats and grasping hands.

"I... I..." Luffy's voice came out trembling before he looked to the side, whistling a bit. "I don't know."

 _Oh Luffy_. I felt affection for him well up inside of me even as I ran to his side. He was the worst liar I'd ever met. Porchemy wasn't fooled for a second.

"You leave me no choice then," a sadistic grin spread over his face. "We'll just have to do this the hard way."

"Hey, let my brother go, you asshole!" I yelled out, jumping forward to kick one of the smaller men in the face. The guy went down with a curse, landing right on his cast-covered arm. I was able to feel satisfaction over the sound of shifting bones for only a second before a hand clamped down on the nape of my neck and lifted me into the air.

"Another one, huh?" I was brought face to face with Porchemy and couldn't help but gag at the stench of his breath. "Wouldn't suppose you'd feel like talking?"

"Go to hell!" Instead of being angry with my response he looked downright pleased. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Hard way it is, then." And with a grin he carried us from the jungle, not at all bothered by our attempts to break free from his grasp. I couldn't help but wonder just what it was we'd gotten ourselves into.

.

* * *

.

It wasn't until Luffy and I were hanging from the ceiling and Porchemy was ordering his men to ' _bring the gloves_ ' that I finally remembered just what was going on. I immediately wanted to smack myself for being so stupid. How could I have forgotten about my brother being _tortured_ for fuck's sake?

"Listen up, you little shits. What your friend Ace took from us was an important sum of money for our crew. You know where it is, so just go on and tell us already." Luffy looked away and kept his mouth stubbornly shut. I could only watch in horror as Porchemy lifted his fist, covered in sharp metal spikes, and slammed in right into Luffy's face. His blood splattered the ground as he swung back and forth from the force of the hit.

"It worked!" The men around us yelled out, clearly surprised that after all they'd tried something was finally able to do damage.

"You really shouldn't make pirates angry," the large man informed us almost casually. "Especially Captain Bluejam. He's a bit of a brute."

I could see Luffy gritting his teeth, desperately trying to keep quiet even as tears leaked from his eyes. Finally it seemed as if the pain was just too much and he began screaming out. The sound seemed to pierce me through to my very soul. Beyond desperate, I began kicking and wriggling, struggling as hard as I could to get free. Anything to get to my brother. Anything to get that sound to stop coming from him.

"You mother fuckers I'm gonna kill you all I swear to god if you touch him again," my ranting went mostly ignored even as my voice became more and more venomous. "I'll kill every single fucking last one of you dickbags!"

"You guys go and search for Ace," Porchemy commanded even as he lifted his hand for another strike. His men complied instantly, clearly uncomfortably with the sight of such violence against a crying child.

The hits continued to rain down, one after another, as Luffy's wails became weaker and weaker. All the while I could do nothing but watch and spit curses at them. No matter how many times he was asked and then subsequently hit, my brother refused to give up the location of Ace and Sabo's treasure. Watching as his blood continued to splatter, his voice cracking with pain and the rays of sun through the window shifting through hours of time, I was half tempted to give up the location myself, just to get the brutality to stop. I knew Ace and Sabo as characters, not as people. Who the hell were they to me when it came to my brother's safety?

But I didn't. Couldn't. Luffy was being so strong, stronger than most grown men could ever hope to be, even as he continued to cry and scream. He was trying so hard, so desperately hard, not to give away the older boys' treasure. And if he could do it, could handle such pain and still not say anything, then who was I to give up the ghost and make all of it be in vain? Much as I hated it, much as I wished with every fiber of my being that it would just _stop_ , I knew I wasn't going to say anything.

As the hours went by and the sun steadily began to sink, Luffy's voice got weaker and weaker until he was barely even grunting with every hit. In contrast, Porchemy had just gotten more and more desperate. His eyes had taken on a distinctly crazed look and he was no longer speaking calmly but was instead practically screaming.

"Cough it up, dammit!" the man yelled as he slammed his fist down again. And again, my brother didn't say a word.

"P-P-P-Porchemy-san!" One of the underlings, the guy with the cast who now sported a distinctly foot-shaped bruise on his face, stuttered out. "It's no use, sir! The kid doesn't even have the strength to scream anymore! And to be honest, this is almost turning out more brutal than I can stand!"

"Idiot!" The crazed leader spun and hit his own man instead this time, sending the guy to the ground in a rapidly growing pool of blood. "If you have the energy to sympathize then you have the energy to continue searching! If we don't find that money it'll be _our_ lives on the line!" The men scrambled to carry out the order, terrified of the larger man's wrath. As they did Porchemy faced my brother again. "Just answer me, dammit!"

"I won't say..." It was weak, but it was the first words Luffy had spoken in awhile. I didn't know whether to be relieved at the proof that he was still alive or upset over the fact that he hadn't lost consciousness yet. At least passed out he wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore.

"Stupid brat!" Porchemy began swinging with reckless abandon, hitting Luffy over and over without pause. "You think you're grown up because you can keep a fucking secret?!"

"I won't say!" My brother continued to chant. "I won't say!"

"Fine." Suddenly, Porchemy was calm once more. The complete one-eighty was more terrifying than his rage from before could ever hope to be. "You don't wanna talk, fine. Let's see how long you last when it's your kid sister bleeding out instead."

And then, calm as a cucumber, he turned to me. I was nervous, of course, and scared. Petrified, really. I'd been beaten up and punched and attacked before, in various levels of violence. But never in this manner of brutality. On the other hand though, if he was focusing on me it meant he wasn't on Luffy. And if it meant Luffy could get any break from the pain at all then I'd gladly take his place.

And so, with a level of cockiness I in no way felt, I smirked at the man before me and simply said, "Bring it."

The spiked glove slammed into my face, ripping into my cheek, and all I could comprehend was _pain_. Burning, searing pain. I clamped my bottom lip between my teeth, determined not to say a thing, as hit after hit came at me, at my face, my stomach, my arms. At one point a punch slammed into my left shoulder, barely healed from the fall, and I could feel my lip tear open with the force it took to contain my scream. And throughout it all, I could hear Luffy go back and forth from mumbling comforts at me to hurling curses and threats at Porchemy.

The pain was never ending. A desperate part of my mind was pleading with me to just _tell them dammit_ but I refused. I wasn't going to be weak. I wasn't going to make this all for nothing. I could handle this, I could survive this. I would! I would survive this!

It was while I was looping this thought through my head that there was an almighty crash and shouts began to ring out through the room. I only noticed because the blows had finally stopped.

"ACE!" I heard my brother scream out with newfound strength, relief and fear and pain all present in his tone. I lifted my head wearily, blinking the blood from my swollen eyes. Indeed, in front of a caved in section of the wall stood Ace and Sabo, pipes at the ready and faces full of fierce determination. Before they could attack, however, the guy with the cast blew their identity and Porchemy was on them in an instant.

"They came straight to us? That makes things easier!" He yelled out as he grabbed Ace's face. The boy clawed and punched at his arm but it did nothing. "Your friends had such tight lips that I was beginning to get worried there!"

"Sabo!" His voice was muffled but still understandable. Within seconds Sabo had jumped up and swung his pipe full-force into the back of Porchemy's head. The man went down like a ton of bricks. In the ensuing silence he twisted, snatching a knife from one of the grunt's hands, and made quick work of our bindings. He caught us both as we fell, one of us on each shoulder, which was good because I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to even stand on my own right now.

"Let's run, Ace!" He yelled as Porchemy began to stand, blood running down the side of his face but otherwise undamaged and severely pissed off.

"You go ahead." There was something strange in Ace's tone. "Once I've faced an enemy, I never run."

"You idiot!" Sabo had come to a stop just inside the caved in wall. I could feel shudders running through his frame, though whether it was from the strain of carrying two kids or fear for his friend, I couldn't tell. "That guy has a sword! This isn't like the punks in town!"

"Just hand over the money, ya little dirtbag," Porchemy was saying, once more calm in the face of his intended target.

"We can put that money to much better use than you!" Ace yelled back.

"Enough with the bullshit!"

"Dammit!" Suddenly Luffy and I were being dropped from Sabo's shoulders into a heap on the ground. "Wait here a minute!"

I couldn't bring myself to pay much attention to the ensuing fight. Instead I was focused on my brother, his bloody face finally within reach. It took far more energy than it should've but after awhile I was able to lift my hand to his cheek, running my thumb lightly over one of the worst of his gashes. He winced at the contact but did nothing to stop me, his own hands reaching out to tug at my braid before patting at my head. It was like we were both trying to confirm that the other was still alive, that we were both here and together. Leaning forward I rested my forehead against his, desperate for the contact, and let my eyes slide shut. Nothing mattered anymore but the feeling of my brother beside me, warm and here and a _live_.

We stayed just like that as the sounds of fighting continued. Finally, after a considerable amount of time had passed, things were silent. And even then we didn't move, not until hands began pulling us up. I didn't struggle or fight them. They were much too tiny to belong to Porchemy or any of his men. We were both lifted up and slung onto their backs, Luffy on Ace's and me on Sabo's, and without a word the two began carrying us into the jungle.

"That's a real nasty habit you have there, Ace. Saying you'll never run to a real pirate like that. Why do you wanna die so much?" Sabo was complaining. The two had been forced to walk closer together, as without any contact Luffy and I had both started to become more and more agitated. We'd been on the brink of crying until they'd given in and brought us close enough that we could hold hands. I still felt like crying, from pain and fear and relief, and I could tell that Luffy did too. If we'd been alone we'd likely have been complete wreaks. As it was, Luffy's hand in mine was the only lifeline to any semblance of calm that I had. "And now that you've done that there's no way Bluejam's men will ever forgive us. We're gonna be chased now!"

It wasn't until we'd arrived at an outcropping of rocks and Sabo had begun cleaning and bandaging our wounds that the tears finally came. I tried as hard as I could to hold them in but biting my lip only reopened the wound already there, reminding me even further of what had happened. I could hear Luffy beside me, already bandaged and collapsing into sobs.

"That was shcary," he blubbered out through his tears. "I fwought we were gonna die!"

"Shut up, already!" Ace yelled, apparently at the end of his patience. "I hate weakling crybabies! You're really starting to piss me off!"

Luffy managed to clamp down for a moment before bowing his head. "Thank you... for saving us!"

I followed suit. I might be more pissed about all of this than Luffy was but that didn't mean I wasn't grateful. They could've just left us there. But they hadn't. And for that they deserved my gratitude.

"Goddamn you!" I could hear Ace yell out in rage and lifted my head to see him barely being held back by Sabo.

"Hey, hey, they're only trying to thank you," the blond said placatingly, trying to calm him.

"I don't get it!" He continued to yell out, undeterred. "Why didn't you just spill the secret? Those men were criminals that could easily kill women and children!"

"If I did... Ace wouldn't ever be our friend," Luffy tried to explain weakly.

"So what?! It'd still be better than dying, wouldn't it? Why do you want to be friends with _me_ so badly?!"

"Because we have no one else!" The sudden strength in my brother's voice made me jump and I turned to look at him with wide eyes. Ace and Sabo had both gone silent, clearly not expecting such vehemence. "We can't go back to Foosha and we hate mountain bandits! It's just me and Lily! If we didn't chase you, we'd be alone! And being alone hurts worse than any pain!"

I could feel more tears slip free at the desperation and aching loneliness in Luffy's voice. I'd always known how much he'd longed for friends, for people other than just me and Makino. It wasn't that he didn't love us or that we weren't good enough. Luffy was someone who thrived on affection, on being surrounded by people who loved him. It had been manageable in Foosha, where he'd had all of the villagers. But here, cut off from everyone, it was like Luffy's own personal hell.

No wonder he'd been so determined.

"...What about your parents?" Ace finally asked.

"Gramps is all we have, besides Makino," I answered, my voice quiet and choked with emotion.

"So...If I'm with you it doesn't hurt, but if I'm gone it'd be a problem?"

"Yep," Luffy answered instantly while I nodded along.

"You want me... to live?" I didn't miss the way Sabo's eyes cut sharply towards Ace at the question but decided to worry about that later.

"Of course we do!" Luffy and I yelled out at the same time. I was utterly disgusted by the look of pure wonder that appeared on Ace's face, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes at our quick and sincere answer. The fact that a kid who was only ten was so shocked by simply having someone want him alive? What the fuck was wrong with people?

"...Huh." Ace quickly rubbed an arm over his eyes even as he grumbled, "But I still hate spoiled brats like you."

"I'm not a spoiled brat!" Luffy fell for the bait instantly, not even noticing the unsubtlety of the topic change. "I'm strong!"

"Strong? What's strong about you? You're a boy but you're crying like a little girl!"

" _Excuse me?_ " Luffy had wisely swallowed whatever words he'd been about to yell back as my tone filled with the promise of pain, despite the pleasant smile that was on my face. "I don't think I quite heard you clearly. Did you just insinuate that girls are weak while standing in front of one that just got beaten for hours? All the while keeping the location of your shitty treasure hidden?"

Despite knowing they were stronger, both older boys had taken a good step back away from me, eyes wide.

"If you'd like to know if that's weak, I'd be happy to beat you until you're covered in blood," I went on, smile growing ever wider. "We'll see how long you can last before crying."

"N-no... I'm sure that's not what Ace meant. Right, Ace?" Sabo demanded, digging an elbow into said boy's ribs.

"R-right..."

"Good," my face twisted further into an animalistic grin. "Because the next time you imply that girls are in any way inferior, I'm gonna kick you in the nuts so hard you'll be singing soprano for the rest of your life."

All three boys audibly gulped.

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* * *

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 **A/N: With this chapter, this fic has reached almost** **30,000 words. In less than two weeks! I can't even remember the last time I wrote so much.**

 **I feel I should probably make it clear that I'm writing this based almost entirely on the manga. The most I've watched of the anime is when it was on 4kids. It was a dark time.**

 **Anyway, my point is that I won't be doing any of the extra scenes that may be in the anime, or any of the filler arcs. If there's any that you really REALLY want me to do, message me or put it in a review. Not promising that I'll do it, but I'll watch it and see if it'll flow with the story or not. I'm still deciding whether or not I want to include any of the movies.**

 **Like always, thank you for reading! Please favorite, follow or review and let me know what you think!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

"What the hell is this?!"

Dadan's shout echoed through the entire room, waking me from what I'm pretty sure had been a wonderful dream about food, if the way my stomach was gurgling loudly was any indication. I blinked up, sleep-dazed, to see the massive woman standing over us, her own eyes wide and mouth hanging so far open her cigarette was in danger of falling to the floor. The group of bandits milling around behind her didn't look much better.

"You should be careful," I told her, eyes falling shut and sleep pulling me back under even as I continued to murmur at her. "You'll start a fire like that, stupid."

"Don't just go back to sleep!" She yelled back. "Lily! Luffy! Ace! Since when are there four of you? Who is this?!"

"Hm?" Luffy sat up from where he'd apparently been wrapped around my head like a cat. To my right, Ace sat up as well. He'd been using my shoulder as a pillow, laying almost perpendicular to me. The moment they saw who it was that had woken them, though, they both fell back without another word, breathing deepening instantly.

"Hey! I asked a question! Don't just ignore me!" Dadan sounded extremely frazzled. If it weren't for the godforsaken earliness of the hour I might have felt sorry for her. As it was, I simply felt annoyed at my continued state of consciousness. "Who the hell is this blond brat?!"

"Oh, me?" Sabo proceeded to sit up this time, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He'd somehow come to lay diagonally between Ace and I, head cushioned on my stomach while his feet were tangled with the older boy's. Apparently I made a great pillow. Who knew?

"Oh, you're Dadan, right?" In a snap, the blond boy was on his feet before the mountain bandit, gap-toothed grin firmly in place as he slapped the woman's hand in greeting. Said woman proceeded to stand there staring like an idiot. "I'm Sabo!"

"Sabo?!" The name jarred her out of her daze. "I know that name! I heard you're quite the shitty little pipsqueak."

"And I heard you're quite the shitty old hag!" He responded instantly. I let out a snort of laughter even as I turned away from the scene and burrowed my way into Luffy's stomach, wrapping myself around Ace's head this time. Both boys shifted accordingly, even in sleep, and soon we were in a cuddle puddle once more.

Warm and comfortable and feeling supremely safe, I let sleep drag me back under, decidedly unconcerned with whatever drivel Dadan was yelling about this time. It was pretty obvious already that the woman would be taking Sabo in. She was pretty incapable of telling anyone no.

.

* * *

.

Ace became the main one in charge of teaching Luffy and I to fight. However, seeing as Ace had a " _learn on the job_ " mentality and no patience when we didn't get things on the first few tries, it was up to Sabo to explain the concepts and advantages behind what was being taught. It was _also_ up to Sabo to make sure Ace didn't snap and just begin beating us into the ground instead.

I didn't much mind, even if I was technically the weakest one of the group. That was probably why the ever-growing menagerie of cuts and bruises didn't bother me, actually. I was determined to get stronger so that what happened with Porchemy would never happen again. There was a lot of danger in my future, I knew, and damned if I was going to let it beat me.

I also wanted to get stronger so that I'd actually be able to use the dagger Shanks had gifted me with. The blade was incredibly heavy in my seven-year-old grip. I'd kept it with me anyways, at least until that first disastrous attempt to follow Ace. It had been a miracle I hadn't lost the thing in the fall and the entire struggle back it had been nothing but dead weight. Afterwards I had wrapped it in a cloth, put it into a box and had buried it in the trees around the bandit's hut. It was the only solution I could think of, seeing as I still didn't trust the bandits enough not to snatch it while I wasn't looking.

Luffy had been all for this idea, excited because it was _"like we're already pirates burying our treasure!"_ It was good he was so enthusiastic seeing as how, with my shoulder the way it was, he'd had to do all of the digging.

And that was where it had stayed, even now. I wanted to learn to use it, almost desperately. Not only was it from Shanks but it was also a _weapon_. A weapon that I was sorely in need of, if the way I fared against Ace in a fight was any indication. But I knew that, as I was right now, trying to use it in a fight would only result in injury to myself or, worse, to my brother. Until I could at least hold the weight of the thing comfortably there was no point in digging it up.

And so I used the thought of it as motivation instead to push myself to the limit.

When we weren't training we were hunting or fighting with the worst in the trash heap. It took quite awhile to adjust to the smell of the place but it was ultimately worth it. It was the very embodiment of " _One man's trash, another man's treasure_ ". We were able to find tons of stuff there, from weapons to valuables. And what we couldn't find there we found in the lowest section of the town beyond the Great Gate.

That was where the other lessons began. Ace and Sabo had both been collecting money for years, they informed us the first time they brought Luffy and I along with them. And while they could bully most out of their valuables through brute force now-a-days, that hadn't always been the case. First, they'd had to learn a more subtle way of doing things.

Namely, pickpocketing.

Luffy had been pretty dubious at first. I couldn't blame him. We'd been raised in a village where stealing was something that just _didn't happen_. And to do it through trickery? Even worse, in his mind.

"It is pretty shitty," Ace had agreed easily. "Now that I can kick most of their asses, I don't really do it anymore. But you two are still pretty weak and probably wouldn't last long in a fight, even against guys like this. So, either learn or be broke."

They'd demonstrated separately, discretely scoping out victims, following them into crowds and then reemerging minutes later with valuables in hand.

After, they'd explained how it could be done in a team as well. Sabo had approached a man and, seemingly by accident, had knocked into him. The bags that had previously been in the guy's hands went flying, items scattering about the street.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sabo had exclaimed instantly, face a mask of shame and remorse. The man had obviously been pissed but when faced with a seemingly apologetic child had swallowed his anger, waving the blond's apologies off. With the man suitably distracted by not only Sabo but his own frustration, Ace had slipped by unnoticed. Even making sure to keep my eyes on him I barely saw the moment his fingers slipped into the man's pocket, feather light, and withdrew a wallet. There hadn't even been a pause in his steps.

Sabo had continued the charade, even after Ace had walked away, and had helped the man collect his wayward things from the ground. Afterwards, he'd bowed one last time in apology, before sedately making his way to us. Ace, having circled around, arrived back at our side not even a moment later, wallet held out to us and triumphant grin spread across his face.

Their victim walked on, none the wiser.

It was all a matter of picking the right person, they explained (I'd snorted loudly at the unintentional pun and had been suitably ignored). Anyone could be a potential target but not all of them were easy. Some people were paranoid while others were just naturally observant. You had to pay attention to how they acted, scout them out from a distance before approaching. Did they mindlessly follow the crowd? Did they look focused, like they were searching out a specific destination? Did their eyes dart around, taking in their surroundings? Were they bumped into often by others walking by? Based on how they were reacting to the world around them, a man with only a few beli to his name could make a much better target than a woman decked out from head to toe in precious jewels.

It was also important to spot where their valuables were before ever approaching. It would be a complete waste of time to set things up only to slip your hand into a pocket and find it empty.

Ace and Sabo continued on, describing the best and easiest techniques. I could see Luffy trying to stay focused, clearly impressed by their demonstrations, but the long explanations were quickly losing his interest.

"It's like we're playing ninja," I cut in quickly, interrupting Ace right in the middle of his sentence. The boy did not look happy about it but refrained from yelling, clearly curious as to just what it was I was doing.

"Ninja?" Luffy parroted back, the dim boredom that had been growing in his eyes instantly replaced with shining excitement.

"Mm," I agreed, smiling at his enthusiasm. "Ninja are sneaky and can steal anything. We have to learn how to do it, otherwise we'll fail our mission and never get to be cool ninja. So, I'm counting on you, okay?"

"Yeah!" I turned back to Ace and Sabo, now confident that they would be able to keep my brother's undivided attention. Not only had I enticed him with the thought of something cool, being ninjas, but I'd also thrown in the fact that I was relying on him. And even if it meant hours of mind-numbing boredom, Luffy would never let down someone who was relying on him, especially me. Underhanded and manipulative? Maybe. But hey, it got results.

"How...?" Both older boys were staring at me, wide-eyed, not believing the fact that I'd just gotten Luffy's complete cooperation so easily. What did they expect? I'd been by Luffy's side for almost eight years by this point. I knew my brother better than anyone could ever hope to. Ace shook his head quickly. "Nevermind. Anyway, the way you want to approach is..."

And so the lesson went on.

Finally, they deemed us ready to try it out. They'd be nearby, of course, ready to bail us out when we inevitably failed to go unnoticed. I wanted to snarl at them, pissed at their poor estimate of our chances, but I really couldn't. They were more than likely spot on.

And they were. We got closer than I thought we would, though, with Luffy acting as distraction and me going in for the unnoticed drive-by. As I was reaching for our chosen victim's purse, though, Luffy's eyes drifted to land on my face. He hadn't meant to, I knew. We were just used to it, always seeking out the other's gaze when we entered a room or something, as if making sure the other was there. It was practically second nature. A second nature that would have to be beaten out of us, apparently, otherwise this pickpocket thing was never going to work.

Seeing my brother's eyes drawn to something else, the woman immediately followed, instinctively searching out whatever had caught the boy's attention. Her eyes inevitably fell on me, hand half stretched out towards the bag slung over her shoulder. She gasped, eyes going wide, and instantly took a step away from me, purse now clutched securely to her chest. She wasted no time in yelling out, alerting all those around about the fact that there was a pair of thieves in their midst.

A hand clamped down on my arm and began dragging me away. I was about to struggle for a moment but stopped when I saw a familiar top hat. Sabo grinned back at me, even as we continued to run.

"That wasn't half bad for your first try!" He commended me. I smiled back, grateful. Behind us I could hear Ace and Luffy running as well. Ace's words weren't nearly as nice as Sabo's had been. By the time we'd made it back to the forest both boys had broken out into a full-blown argument, literally butting heads as sparks seemed to fly between them.

"I'll show you!" Luffy was yelling. "I'll be a great pickpocket! The best! Way better than you!"

"Yeah right, stuuuupid!" Ace taunted back, sticking his tongue out. This only enraged my brother further and soon he was beyond words, trying simply to beat the older boy with his fists instead. And failing. Badly.

I sighed, sharing a " _what can you do?_ " shrug with Sabo. It was probably best to just let them get it out of their systems.

With that thought in mind we walked further into the canopy of trees, leaving the brawling boys to settle things on their own.

.

* * *

.

"Gomu Gomu nooooo...Pistol!"

Finished winding up, Luffy let his fist fly, rubber arm stretching out instantly. Only, instead of hitting Ace, as he'd surely intended, his fist hit the ground instead before bouncing back up and landing solidly in his own face.

"What are you doing?!" Ace demanded, annoyed, as he flew forward and planted both feet into where Luffy had just punched himself, sending my brother flying until he landed in a heap on the ground, twitching.

"And... match! As expected, it's Ace's win!" Sabo called cheerfully from where he stood by our makeshift scoreboard. His smile slowly transformed into a scowl as he called out the scores. "That's zero wins for Lily and Luffy against us and fourteen to nineteen against each other, in Lily's favor. I have fifteen and Ace has eighteen. Dammit!"

"Ugh, it's not working properly," Luffy groaned from the ground before hopping back to his feet, glaring fiercely at Ace. "Again! Once I get this attack figured out you'll never know what hit you! One more round!"

Ace rolled his eyes, showing just what he thought of _that_ , but stepped forward nonetheless.

"Wait!" I called out, slowly leveraging myself up from where I'd been nursing my new bruises on the ground. Both boys paused immediately. "I wanna go against Luffy instead."

"Aaaaw, but Lili!" Luffy whined in response, shoulders slumping. "You already beat me for today!"

"So did I," Ace grumbled in annoyance even as he stepped over towards Sabo instead. The boys had been a bit stumped on what to do when they'd first agreed to let us in on their training matches. They had decided long ago that the limit would be a hundred fights per day per person, no matter what. It hadn't been such a big deal when they'd only had each other to fight against but now there were four of us. Sabo and I had worked together to decide the new system, thirty-three fights against each other. At the end of the day we could all pick one last opponent, as we would each have an extra match left, and that would be it.

Luffy had continuously been using his extra match on Ace, leaving me to fight Sabo. I didn't much mind, seeing as how Sabo was no where near as harsh as Ace while still remaining a definite challenge.

Today, though, I wanted to try to see if I could help my brother out a bit. I'd been watching the way he was trying to get his powers to work and day after day he continued to do the same thing, as if it would suddenly just magically work after having failed countless times. I'd been trying to give him space to work it out on his own but it was becoming rapidly apparent that he was gonna need a bit of a push.

"Alright, here we go! It'll work this time for sure!" Luffy crowed, beginning to wind his arm up once more. "Gomu Gomu no -"

"Hold on," I held my hands up in a signal for timeout. Luffy complied instantly, stumbling a bit as the momentum he'd built up released. "Why are you spinning your arm?"

"Huh?"

"Your arm," I repeated patiently. "Why do you spin it before attacking?"

"To get more power in it!" He yelled as if it were obvious. And it was. It was also just as obvious why it wasn't working.

"But if you spin it like that, it'll constantly be aimed downward when you release it." When Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion I stepped up and grabbed his arm to demonstrate. He went along with it, unresistant, as I spun it in a circle as he had been doing, though slowly. "See? Your arm goes back and around. By the time you bring it forward again it's already aimed down towards the ground. The power you're building just makes it hit the ground harder, causing it to rebound into you, like it did earlier."

"Rebound?"

"Bounce back."

"Oh." Luffy was silent for a long moment as he thought about what I'd said. He spun his arm in another slow circle, as I'd done, seeing again what I'd been saying. After awhile his brows furrowed, face taking on a slightly red sheen from all the thinking he was doing. I couldn't help but sigh at the sight, exasperated. I knew Luffy wasn't completely stupid. But using his brain wasn't something he was used to doing. We'd definitely have to work on that. Maybe I could give him fun riddles to solve? Or interesting mind games?

"So, this won't work," he finally decided, voice drawing me out of my musing.

"Probably not," I admitted. He was silent for another minute, frown tugging at his lips, clearly disappointed that he'd been wrong. Then he shrugged, a smile lighting up his face once more.

"Thanks!" He chirped. "I'll just come up with something better. It'll definitely work next time!"

"Definitely," I agreed, smiling back at him, proud of the determination I could see in his eyes. "But you can try tomorrow. For now, let's just have a good, old-fashioned brawl."

"Alright!" Luffy leaped at me instantly, just like he always had when we'd wrestled as kids, and I couldn't help but let out a delighted laugh as I quickly dodged.

"You two! Hurry up!" Ace called from the sidelines. Sabo stood by his side, grumbling under his breath and borderline pouting. It was clear who'd won their last fight. "We still gotta find something to eat!"

"FOOD!"

Utilizing Luffy's complete distraction at the mention of dinner, I swept his feet out from under him, causing him to yelp in surprise. Before he'd gotten his bearings I quickly plopped down on his stomach, pinning him to the ground. I grinned down at him, smug. "And that's my final win of the day."

"Aaaw, no fair!"

.

* * *

.

After eating the crocodile we'd caught and brought back to Dadan's, Ace and Sabo revealed to us their plans to go into the city the next day, to sell the skin. They couldn't go as themselves while carting something so big, they'd explained, because they'd caused enough trouble in the past that the guards knew their faces. And so they explained that they wanted to go, stacked on each other's shoulders and covered with a cloak, and act as if they were just another scavenger from the trash heap. I'd laughed out loud at their plan, remembering all the cartoons I'd watched as a child in my past life where the protagonist had done the same thing. It wasn't a bad idea, I'd admitted after a lot of glaring on the older boy's part, but what about Luffy and I?

"You're both really small," Sabo explained, ignoring the indignant shriek both my brother and I let out at the comment. "I think If Luffy acts as the middle and you just hang on to him, it'd pass as just a bit of extra weight."

I tried picturing it, but no matter how much I tried it just looked utterly ridiculous. I stared him down, dubious. "If you're sure..."

"Worst comes to worst we'll just hightail it out of there," Ace shrugged, unconcerned, before turning to smirk at my brother. "You think you'll be able to handle holding me _and_ Lily up, Luffy? You're pretty weak, so it's a big gamble."

"I'm not weak!" My brother yelled back instantly before crossing his arms petulantly. "If I can't hold you up it'll only be because of your big head."

"What was that?!"

"Oi, oi, oi!" Sabo called out, slapping a hand to both of their foreheads and forcibly pushing them away from each other. He looked at Ace, then, lips pursed. "And who said you were going to be the head and not the feet?"

"I did. I'm older."

"Like hell you are!"

After an exceptionally violent bout of rock, paper, scissors it was decided that Sabo would be the feet.

It wasn't until we'd entered past the gate, passing inspection with no problem after showing the large crocodile in our possession and giving the guard a good spook, that a niggling in the back of my head made itself known. I felt like I was forgetting something. These events seemed familiar, only more so when a group of thugs tried to rob us only to try and flee when we revealed our identities. I wouldn't doubt if this ridiculous venture had somehow made it into the manga but I felt like it was more than that. Something important was going to happen.

I pondered on it as we made our way through the streets, hanging on to Sabo now as Luffy took a turn acting as our feet. We'd already traded in the skin for money and Ace, Sabo and Luffy were now debating on where we should go to eat. Ace was insisting on ramen and, with no better options, the decision was made.

I ignored the rudeness of the host and how he turned into a stammering mess as soon as Sabo flashed some sort of golden emblem at him. Something about nobles? When asked he'd claimed he'd found it in the street, which I knew was a lie. It was most likely the emblem of his birth family, kept even after all of this time. That thought seemed to ring a bell, turning the niggling in the back of my head into a full-blown tickle, demanding my attention. Something about Sabo then?

I couldn't help but become increasingly more frustrated as we continued to scarf down our food. I'd noticed for awhile now that events were starting to become hazy. It made sense, seeing as how it'd been years since I'd last been able to read the manga. Big events stood out clearly while a lot of the little details were starting to become a blur. I had been debating whether or not I should write everything down to make sure I wouldn't forget but was too afraid of somebody stumbling upon it.

I was so distracted that I couldn't even savor the fact that this was the first time I'd had real authentic ramen and not just the cheap instant stuff that was sold in grocery stores. The boys were unconcerned with my silence, not talking themselves as they continued to shovel noodles into their faces at a frankly alarming rate. The poor girl serving us was running back and forth from the kitchen with barely any pause at all as the empty bowls on the table continued to stack up higher and higher.

I didn't notice when, in his rush for more food, Luffy used his powers to stretch his arm and grab the next tray before our server had even walked into the room. I didn't notice when she subsequently freaked out, either. I _did_ , however, notice when the manager barged into the room only to discover the four of us instead of the single noble he'd been expecting.

"Shit! They caught us!" Ace yelled out as he and Luffy both shoved what was left into their faces, cheeks bulging and broth dripping down their chins. As one, we hopped up over the table, away from the screaming of the employees behind us.

"Ready for lesson two?" Sabo asked, grinning at me.

"Lesson two?" I cocked my head in confusion without ever breaking stride.

"Yeah!" He yelled out as both he and Ace brandished their pipes, smashing out the window so that we could jump through it. "Dine and dash!"

"Stop those kids!" The manager was yelling as we bounced off of the awning bellow and landed gracefully on our feet. "They didn't pay!"

"Man, that was good!" Sabo was saying as we raced through the streets, dodging around people expertly as we went.

"Told you so," Ace smiled back, tone smug. Luffy was still holding his mouth in order not to lose the food still bulging out his cheeks. I couldn't help but give him the stink eye, disgusted. Before I could berate him, though, a voice behind us called out.

"Sabo? Is that really you?!" I twisted around only to lay eyes on who I instantly recognized as Sabo's father. _Fuck. That's what I was forgetting._ "You're alive? I don't believe it! You have to come home!"

"Sabo, someone's calling for you," Ace pointed out, as if we couldn't all hear the guy yelling.

"He must be mistaken," Sabo insisted, face dark as he raced forward even faster and never once looked back. Ace pursed his lips at his friend's back, clearly suspicious, before glancing back to make sure Luffy and I were keeping up. I met his gaze and nodded. Sabo was definitely hiding something from him, from what he thought was all of us.

If I knew Ace, though, he wouldn't be able to continue hiding it for long.

.

* * *

.

Ace at least had the decency to wait until we were firmly within the jungle of Mt Colubo before giving Sabo the third degree ( _Now is not the time for puns_ , I berated myself as I watched the two future Mera Mera no Mi users).

"I'm not hiding anything!" Sabo continued to insist, backed up against a tree trunk with nowhere to run but off the side of a cliff.

"Oh... Really?" Luffy asked, gullible as always.

"No, not really." I assured my brother.

"Don't be stupid, of course he is! Let's hear it, Sabo!" Said blond looked away, stubbornly avoiding both our gazes and the question. Ace and Luffy glanced at each other before turning back, faces blank, and speaking as one. "We shouldn't keep secrets from each other, now, should we? Spill it."

I began snorting with laughter at further proof of just how _alike_ the two were. Sometimes it felt like Ace was the other twin here, not me. When Sabo continued ignoring us their patience seemed to snap and they jumped straight from asking to flat-out demanding answers via extreme violence.

In this case, choking the life out of the blond.

I felt, as the technical adult in this situation, I should probably step in to put a stop to the blatant attempt at murder. Seeing as how it was getting results, though, I decided to let it be. What was a little potential homicide between friends, anyway?

"Alright, alright!" Sabo chocked out, face turning an alarming shade of purple as he tried to break out of Ace's strong grip and my brother's rubbery hold. "I'm the son of a noble, alright?!"

The hill top went dead silent but for the sound of Sabo gasping in breaths to his now unrestricted lungs, grumbling about psychotic friends all the while. Through his annoyance, though, I could see the apprehension and fear in his expression.

"Son of a noble?" Ace finally asked.

"Who is?" Luffy demanded, confused.

"I am!"

"So?" Both boys stuck their pinkies up their nose and cocked their heads, clearly not understanding what Sabo was making such a big deal about it for. I scowled at the sight, wishing more and more that I could punch Gramps right in the face for passing on such a habit to them. One day, I vowed to myself, _one day_.

"You're the ones who wanted to know!" The now-revealed son of a noble yelled, vein in his forehead visibly throbbing, before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down. "The truth is... both of my parents are still out there. I'm not a real orphan and I wasn't born in the trash heap. That man back there was my father." He lowered his head, top hat sliding down to shadow his face. "Sorry I had to lie to you."

"Oh, well if you're sorry, then that's fine!" Luffy decided, grin spread across his face. I bonked him lightly on the head with a fist.

"That's not always how it works, dummy," I told him but was incapable of keeping the fondness out of my tone. I turned towards Sabo, taking in his dejected posture, and sighed. "In this case, however, I think it's fine also."

"I'm pretty surprised, to be honest," Ace spoke softly, turning his back on all of us. "If you were born into a noble household, why would you end up in the trash heap?"

Sabo was quiet for a long moment before he finally looked back up at us, gaze emptier than I'd ever seen it. I couldn't help but flinch at the depth of pain hidden in those eyes, pain and anger and _betrayal._ "All they ever cared about was an heir to protect the family status and fortune, not _me_. If I couldn't marry a royal then I was worthless to them. I had to work every day, all day, just to improve my chances but it was never good enough for them. There was never any place for me in that house.

"This may seem rude to you guys," he finally met our eyes, one by one, "but I was always alone, even though I had parents. The nobles always scorned and despised the trash heap but... Compared to that horrible elite district where it felt like I couldn't even breathe... I'd take the trash heap over that place any day."

I felt my heart clench at the pure emotion in his tone. I wished more in that moment than I ever had before that I could reveal just what I was without having to worry. So that I could speak to Sabo plainly, assure him that even though I would never know exactly what it was he'd gone through, that didn't mean he was alone. I knew what it felt like to have parents and yet feel like you were on your own anyway, like you had no family and no one to rely on. I knew what it was like for family to turn their backs on you, scorn and ridicule you just for not meeting up to their standards or conforming to their wishes.

I couldn't, though. In this life I was considered an orphan, a girl who'd grown up never knowing about her parents. And so I held my tongue, hating myself for it all the while.

"So, that's the deal, huh?" Ace murmured, finally having turned back to face us. Abruptly, Sabo surged to his feet. The empty, hurt expression on his face had disappeared, instead replaced with one of determination.

"Ace, Luffy, Lily!" He called out to us and each of us stood straighter in response. "We have to sail out to sea one day! We'll leave this country behind and gain our freedom! I want to sail the world in all it's glory and write a book about everything I find. If it's sailing I'm studying for I don't care how hard I have to work. We've got to become stronger and become real pirates!"

Ace grinned in response to the blond's sudden enthusiasm, looking more carefree than I'd ever seen him. I felt something begin to come lose in my chest at the sight, as if I'd been barely breathing this whole time and was finally able to fill my lungs, an immeasurable weight finally lifted.

"You don't need to tell me that." Ace spun around, planting one hand on his hip while the other held his pipe, and shouted out for all the seas to hear. "I'm gonna become a pirate, beat every last person that stands in my way, and earn myself the kind of glory that dreams are made of! Only then will my life have been worth living! I don't care if the whole world refuses to accept me, they can hate me all they like! I'll become a great pirate and prove I'm better than them all! I won't run from anybody and I'll never lose. I don't care if the whole world is terrified of me! I'll make sure they know my name!"

I couldn't help but suck in a breath at the words. So certain that nothing but hate awaited him out on the blue and yet determined to reach the top regardless, to get to the point where they would _have_ to acknowledge him on his own strength. If they despised him, so be it, as long it was for _him_ alone and not the shadow his father continued to cast over him, even in death.

Knowing what I did, about his death and how it had been brought about because he was the son of Gol D. Roger and not because of the pirate he'd become, made the conviction he spoke with now all the more painful.

Taking a deep breath to calm the emotional turmoil roiling around inside of me, I turned to face the sea as well, forcing a grin to my face. "I'll become the second freest person in the world! I'll never be trapped or helpless or weak! I'll get strong until everyone will have to acknowledge it, regardless if I'm a girl! Until the day comes when I never have to bow to anyone's expectations but one!"

The more I spoke, the more genuine my smile became until it was blinding, so wide it hurt. It felt good to shout my ambitions out in such a way, surrounded by the ones who would never mock me for them.

"Second freest?" Ace asked, confused.

"Bow to nobody but one?" Sabo voiced as well, clearly just as confused. My smile softened as my gaze came to rest on Luffy, who was already grinning back at me.

"But of course," I answered, "I'll always heed the word of my Captain. Right, Lu?"

"Right!" Luffy yelled out, ecstatic. Not one to be undone, he swiftly turned to face the water, balled up his fists and yelled out with all of his might: "I'M GOING TO BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

As one, both older boys blinked in shock, even as my brother and I continued to grin at each other in satisfaction. And then, without further ado, they both burst into laughter.

"Of all the things you could come up with!"

"That really shocked me! You're one crazy guy, Luffy!"

.

* * *

.

It was some time later that we all stood gathered around a large tree stump. After we'd yelled out our dreams to be carried out on the ocean air, Ace had quickly demanded that we stay put before dashing into the forest, disappearing from sight. We'd watched him go, confused at his sudden departure, before shrugging and beginning to discuss plans for training tomorrow. It would be best to stay away from the city for awhile, at least until the heat died down and the nobles stopped caring. I could tell, though, as Sabo made the suggestion that it was at least partly because of fear of running into his father again.

"You're one of us," I told him, voice soft but sincere and allowing no room for argument. Beside us, Luffy nodded vigorously in agreement. "You might've been born to them but they blew any shot they had at keeping you. As shitty as they are, they don't deserve you, not a bit. You belong here with us and that's not gonna change."

"Got that right!" Ace's voice called out before he broke through the treeline, panting and red in the face, having obviously been running. In one hand he held four wide cups, stacked on each other, and in the other was what could only be a bottle of Dadan's saki.

"She's gonna yell so much about that," I whined, not looking forward to it at all. "She's never gonna shut up about it."

"It'll be worth it," he promised me with a grin as I continued to pout. He spread the cups out, one placed before each of us on the worn bark, before twisting the cork from the bottle. The strong scent of the alcohol within hit me almost instantly, causing my nose to wrinkle. I withheld any further complaints though, knowing exactly what this was and not wanting to ruin it by acting like the petty child I had no right in being. My heart was beginning to pound, excitement building and it was all I could do to keep from shaking with the excess energy.

"Did you guys know?" Ace asked, pouring enough to fill all four cups. "If you exchange drinks, then you can become kin."

"Kin?" Luffy asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"Family," I clarified absently, automatically, gaze never leaving the cup that had been placed before me. I was being included in this. It wasn't ' _to become brothers_ ' anymore, it was now ' _kin_ '. He'd chosen the word just to make sure I knew I was one of them, too. I felt warmth bloom in my chest instantly, the fondness I held for these three boys before me beyond what words could ever even describe. "Like brothers and sisters."

"Exactly!" Ace grinned. "When we become pirates, we might not end up on the same crew. But the bond of family we share will never die! No matter where we go or what we do... This is one bond that will never break!"

All four of us lifted our cups and slammed them together, not a single one of us able to hid the smiles full of pure and absolute _joy_ that were mirrored on each of our faces.

"From this day forward," we yelled out together, a vow taken and kept, "we are kin!"

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: I don't know if people will get upset over the change in wording to their vow. But I've seen it a lot in fics where there's an OC that's a girl and yet they still just use the word "brotherhood". But I wanted to show how much this included all of them, together. For something like this, it would've felt wrong if the wording excluded one of them even a little.**

 **I've been getting quite a lot of reviews, all of which I am extremely grateful for, you have no idea! They really do keep me going and without them I probably wouldn't even be past chapter 3 at this point. Thank you all so _so_ much! **

**For those wondering about Sabo's fate, hold tight! All will be revealed hopefully within the next three or four chapters. One of the first things I planned about this fic was how I was going to handle his situation and I'm excited for all of you to read it. And hopeful that you'll all love it.**

 **pokeloon15: I decided that Lily's knowledge would extend only as far as my own at the time I started writing this, which is just after the Dressrosa arc (I've been meaning to get caught back up but it just never seems to happen). Regardless of when I _do_ actually get caught up on the manga that's all Lily will know about. So, come the day I actually get that far, which will be a long LONG time from now, she'll no longer have the boon of foreknowledge and will be just as clueless as everyone else as to what's gonna happen next. **

**Seeing as how it's currently 12:30 and I have to be up at 7, this has not been proofread at all. If you spot any goofs or errors let me know and I'll fix it asap.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please favorite, follow or leave a review to tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, I noticed that the last chapter didn't get many reviews. And I was wondering if it was because I posted the last two updates so close together that nobody realized that there actually _was_ a new chapter? This might not be the case, maybe the chapter was just exceptionally dull, but I thought I'd ask anyways. Just in case, so that none of you end up accidentally skipping the last chapter without realizing it. Because then you'd be pretty confused. **

**.**

* * *

.

One day, out of the blue, I had a thought which caused me to freeze in the middle of a fight against Ace.

This, of course, resulted in a bloody nose and black eye on my part. Ace was equal parts pissed and guilty, seeming unable to decide if I fully deserved it for not paying attention or if he should have realized something was wrong and pulled his punch. Either way, what was done was done, and I was laid flat out on the ground before anyone even seemed to know what happened.

"Lily!" Luffy was at my side in an instant, helping me to sit up. He'd likely noticed when I'd paused. We'd always been extremely aware of the other and could read each other easily, having been together for so long. Seeing that I was fine, even if the skin around my left eye was quickly turning a dark red, he whipped around to point at Ace accusingly, scowl firmly in place. "Mean! Ace is mean!"

"It's not my fault!" The older boy yelled back, shoulders hunched up around his ears. "She was the one that stopped out of nowhere. What the hell, anyway?"

"Yeah, Lil, you okay?" Sabo had come to kneel at my other side, probing at my swelling face lightly. I winced but otherwise left him to it. "Your nose isn't broken, so that's something. It's not like you to leave yourself wide open like that. Are you getting sick?"

"Maybe that hit you took from the bear the other day was worse than we thought," Ace suggested, posture now slumped as he looked even more dejected.

"No, no, I'm fine," I assured them quickly, not wanting them to look so worried anymore. "I was just thinking..."

"Thinking?" Sabo pressed when I trailed off.

"Well," I hesitated for a moment before turning to meet Luffy's gaze. "Do you think Makino is lonely?"

The boy looked utterly stricken with the thought and, honestly, I didn't feel much better. It had been months since we'd arrived here on the mountain and we hadn't seen or heard from her in all of that time. She probably hadn't even known Gramps had taken us until he'd returned to Foosha to ship off again. And knowing him he hadn't felt it important to share our location. She had to have been so worried.

"We have to go see her!" Luffy yelled out determinedly, grabbing hold of my arm and dragging me to my feet. "Makino can't be lonely! She can't be sad!"

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Sabo yelled before my brother could begin pulling me into the forest in what would've most likely been a random direction. "Slow down a minute. We have no idea what you guys are talking about."

"Yeah, who's Makino?" Ace had crossed his arms and was now glaring at us, clearly not happy about being in the dark.

"Makino is the woman who raised us," I explained to them quietly, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice. I really did feel guilty that I hadn't thought of her until now. Now that I had, though, I missed her so much it almost physically hurt. "Gramps left us with her when he was gone, which was all the time. She probably doesn't even know where we've been this whole time..."

"She's awesome and pretty and really nice!" Luffy added. "She makes the best food and she always gave us extra if we got our chores done!"

"And she lives in Foosha, where you guys are from?" Sabo asked. When my brother and I both nodded in confirmation he looked up to the sky, checking the position of the sun. "Well, you probably wouldn't be able to make it there before nightfall. There's only about two hours of daylight left."

"Oh." Both of us slumped and Luffy looked particularly upset that his spur of the moment plan wouldn't work.

"We can go tomorrow, though, if you guys really want to," the blond offered, grinning when we both looked up at him in excitement.

"Really?!"

"You want to come with us?"

"Che, of course," Ace scoffed before Sabo could answer, smirking at us as he shoved him hands in his pockets, clearly going for nonchalance. "Like we could let you two idiots go alone. You'd probably get eaten by a snake or something."

Luffy and I both stuck our tongues out at him, insulted, and I yelled out, "Yeah, right, you're the one who almost got crushed by that giant anaconda last week, not us, stupid!"

"What did you just call me?!"

"I called you stupid, _stupid_!"

"You little shit -!"

.

* * *

.

When Makino saw us she cried.

The hike down the mountain took nowhere near as long as I'd thought it would and we'd arrived just minutes after the bar had opened. Because of this, it was still empty save for our caretaker, who stood behind the bar wiping glasses clean. When we walked in through the swinging doors she looked up to greet us with a smile, a welcome already on her lips, before she saw who it was and just went _still_.

And then she'd let out a cry, hand flying to her mouth and eyes flooding with tears. Within moments she was around the bar and had both Luffy and I hugged tightly to her chest.

"Where have you _been_?" She demanded, though her voice held no heat, only pure relief. "I was so worried when Garp came back without you! He just told me that he'd found somewhere else for you to live, I had no idea where he'd taken you or if you were even still on the island and _I've missed you so much!_ "

"Sorry, we're sorry," My brother and I mumbled back, holding her back just as tightly. Suddenly, I no longer felt like the girl who could hunt down tigers and beat up thugs. I felt like the kid who'd been tucked in at night, who'd been kissed on the forehead when I'd done a good job and who'd been scolded when I'd misbehaved. "We didn't mean to, we're sorry."

"Shhh," she shushed us gently, disentangling us from her just enough so that she could look at us. There was a warm smile on her face as she brought a hand to both of our cheeks. "Look at you both, you've gotten so big."

"We've gotten strong, too!" Luffy bragged, grinning wide. There was a loud snort behind us and we all turned to see Ace and Sabo standing uncertainly in the door way.

"Ah, excuse us," Sabo mumbled awkwardly, clearly unsure of what to do here. Ace just glared at the floor, using anger to cover up the fact that he was uncomfortable, like usual.

"These are our older brothers," I informed our caretaker with a smile. I could see both older boys brighten in response to the claim. "Sabo's the polite one and Ace is the one who looks like he ate something nasty."

"Oi!"

"Brothers, huh?" Makino asked, giggling at our behavior. "Well, it's very nice to meet you both. My name is Makino. Have you eaten?"

"Food! Food! Food!" Luffy began to chant instantly, already racing to the bar to sit.

"No, not yet. We left first thing this morning," I explained sheepishly.

"Well, we can't have that. Go sit and I'll make something for you. And you can tell me all about what you've been up to."

After she'd placed plates full of eggs before the four of us, we'd quickly jumped into telling our tale, starting with our first attempt at befriending Ace. While Luffy had a habit of exaggerating I tried to downplay things as much as possible, so as not to worry her. I left out the fact that my shoulder had been dislocated when Luffy only said it was hurt. There wasn't much we could do to make ' _tortured for hours_ ' sound better, though, and Makino had looked distinctly pale when we rushed through that part.

After, we'd talked about training and running through Grey Terminal and Edge Town, about the various people we'd fought and robbed. We told her about the things we'd hunted and the frankly ridiculous amount of times that Luffy had been swallowed whole by something. And, most importantly, we'd told her about how we'd become sworn siblings. By the time we'd gotten around to telling her everything she was laughing out loud at our antics, absently reaching out to sweep Ace's hair out of his eyes or wipe a bit of food off of Sabo's face.

Luffy and I both shared a grin, satisfied, as Makino adopted our older brothers into her heart without even seeming to realize it.

Around lunch time Party's Bar began to fill up. Each person that walked through the door called out an absentminded greeting to my brother and I before doing a double take and, sometimes, a spit-take. I felt a bit bad, Makino was definitely going to have her work cut out for her mopping later on, but it was pretty hilarious. We were bombarded with questions: how were we, where had we been, what had we been up to, who were those other two kids and, most frequently, what in the hell happened to my face? The bruise from the day before had turned a pretty impressive shade of blue by that point. Each time I was asked I could see Ace's shoulders hunch further and further.

"It was just a training accident," I waved away for what felt like the hundredth time. "This is what happens when you don't pay attention."

"Are you sure, though, dear?" One of the older women asked, hands fluttering about my face anxiously. "That looks quite painful. Girls shouldn't have such bruises on their face, it's your most important asset."

I could see all three of my brothers stiffen from beside me, knowing just how I felt about being treated like I was fragile just because I was a girl. Sabo and Ace both tried to discretely inch away from me, clearly expecting me to begin throwing punches. Luffy, for his part, was frowning at the woman before me in disapproval.

The smile on my face had become fixed, forced in a way I wasn't used to anymore. "Thank you for your worry but I'm fine, really."

"Alright, dear, just be more careful in the future. What if it had scarred?"

I was the one hunching in on myself now. It had been so long since my worth had been determined purely on my looks and not my strength. My brothers didn't care what I looked like so long as I could fight and take care of myself. For all it was my dream to get out from under such expectations, I'd forgotten that the world wasn't quite so accepting. I'd been in a warm little bubble, safe in the knowledge that my brothers loved me for _me_ , and that bubble had just been forcibly popped.

"Konan-san, your drink is ready," Makino called out, effectively pulling the woman's attention from me. The minute she stepped away, all three boys converged on me, blocking off any further attempt at conversation the villagers could have made.

"What the fuck was that?" Ace was growling, arm wrapped securely around my shoulder and glaring at anyone who so much as stepped towards us. I shrugged, plastic smile dropping from my face completely.

"I'm a girl," I explained in a dull voice. "I'm supposed to be kind and gentle and pretty. I'm supposed to get a husband and settle down with children, not fight or train or become a pirate."

"Bullshit," Sabo snarled, grabbing my face and forcing me to meet his gaze. "That's like those shitty nobles telling me I had to study and marry a royal. Fuck them and their stupid idea that they have any say in what we do or become."

"Yeah," Luffy piped in, wrapping his rubber arms around my waist. "Lili is Lili, who cares about anything else?"

I quirked my lips up at them all, fond but borderline resigned, "The world doesn't work like that."

"Then we'll _make_ it work like that," Ace stated as he tightened his arms around me. "That's your dream, right? We'll make it happen, no matter what."

"Yeah!"

"You're damn right we will!"

My smile grew, light finally entering my eyes once more as I looked at their grinning faces, staring back at me with belief and determination and _love_. "Yeah," I mumbled softly, leaning my forehead against Sabo's and gripping at Ace and Luffy's arms. "Yeah, we will."

We left not long after. The bar was just continuing to fill and Makino would be pretty busy serving until late into the night. She'd offered for us all to stay in our old room but we'd declined, wanting to get away from this crowd of people who no longer knew us. Before we left Makino gather each and every one of us into a tight embrace, even a red-faced Ace and Sabo, demanding that we be careful and come back to visit her again soon.

"No more months on end with no word, do you understand, Monkey D. Luffy? Monkey D. Liliana?"

My brother and I both gulped at the use of our full names and nodded in agreement rapidly. "We promise!"

"Good." She smiled, though her eyes were looking suspiciously wet. "You should get going, then. The sun will be setting soon."

"Right." Ace and Sabo turned and began walking back towards the jungle only to stop when they realized we weren't following. Before anyone could say anything, Luffy and I, as one, launched ourselves back into our caretaker's arms.

"We'll miss you!" I cried, burrowing my face into her neck.

"We'll come back, okay, so don't be lonely!" Luffy commanded, lip trembling at the very thought.

Makino laughed at us, hands smoothing our hair down in a comforting gesture. "I won't be lonely," she promised. "Just so long as you come back to visit quickly."

"We will!"

Without giving ourselves a chance to cling, otherwise we'd never leave, Luffy and I turned and dashed to where our older brothers were waiting.

"Ready?" Sabo asked, grinning. Ace had already resumed walking, impatient.

"Mm," I agreed, smile turning sly as I poked both older boys in the ribs. Sabo, having seen it coming, dodged gracefully. Ace, having not, yelped. "I saw you both blushing. Makino's pretty, isn't she?"

"What?!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about!"

"Shishishi, look, you're turning red again!" Luffy laughed, pointing at both of their faces.

"Sh-shut up!"

We walked on in silence, Lu and I giggling occasionally as Ace and Sabo both tried to contain their blushing, refusing to look at us all the while. It wasn't until we'd already broken through the treeline that Ace spoke up once more.

"Liliana?"

"Hm?" I responded immediately.

"That's what she called you. Liliana."

"Well," my voice was dry, "it _is_ my name."

"Shut up!" He glared instantly at my tone before calming once more. "I always thought your name was just Lily."

"Me, too," Sabo agreed.

"Uh-uh!" Luffy chirped, grabbing my hand and swinging our arms between us as we walked. "Lili's name is Monkey D. Liliana!"

"Liliana's kind of a mouth-full, though," I admitted. "So, the only time I'm ever really called that is when I'm being scolded or something."

"I see," Ace mumbled, looking like he was deep in thought. "... Ana. Has a nice ring to it, I suppose."

"Ana?" I cocked my head to the side. He and Sabo both turned to grin at me.

"Lu's always called you Lili, but that just sounds like a baby failing to talk."

"That's because it is," I laughed while Luffy pouted at us. "It was the only way he could say my name when we were little. It just kind of stuck."

"But that's his special name for you," Sabo went on. "And, as your brothers, we wanted one of our own. There isn't really much to work with, though, with a name like Lily."

"So, Ana." Ace nodded decisively. I thought about it for a moment. It was definitely special, I supposed. No one had ever called me that before. That part of my name was generally the one everyone forgot about.

"Ana," I smiled, nodding in approval. "I like it!"

.

* * *

.

The biggest change that came about from having Ace and Sabo as brothers was how ridiculously protective they became of Luffy and I.

That wasn't to say that they didn't still make us pull our own weight on hunts or that they ever took it easy on us in spars, because they didn't. And it didn't mean that Ace was no longer a jerk, because he was.

What it meant was that if, for whatever reason, a thug or animal got in a lucky hit and caused us any kind of real harm, both older boys tended to fly off the handle.

It also meant that they were more patient and more observant when it came to Luffy and I as well. They took their time explaining things simply when my brother didn't understand and they noticed when we both began to lag in hunger or exhaustion. When it began to snow they both made sure Luffy and I had warm jackets to protect us from the chill.

And when, while crossing the bridge over that thrice-damned ravine, one of the boards broke beneath my feet, Ace and Sabo had leaped forward to grab my arms before I'd even been able to register the feeling of free-fall. They pulled me back up and quickly checked for damage and, finding none, had grinned in relief. Luffy had wrapped his rubber arms around all three of us, giddy with the fact that we were all okay, which had made it decidedly harder to actually get off the bridge.

Even as the temperature got colder, the four of us continued to hike through the jungle, to hunt and train or simply visit Makino in Foosha. Every time we arrived at the bar she had warm food and clothes waiting for us. We might have had to deal with scolding from the Mayor more often than not but it was definitely worth it. And anytime someone began to imply things based on my gender Ace or Sabo would appear at my side and drag me away instantly while Luffy would jump in to take my place. It wasn't necessary, I was used to it after living through it for so long, but it was appreciated. It never once failed to bring a smile to my face.

Gramps showed up as the weather was warming once more. I should've seen it coming. It was nearing our birthday, after all, and he usually tried to make a trip out to see us every year for the occasion. But I hadn't thought of it and so hadn't warned the others. By the time Garp entered the clearing we had been resting in it was far too late to run, though that didn't mean we didn't try.

Ace, Luffy and I had paled instantly at the sight of him, not wasting any time in shooting to our feet and making a break for it. Sabo, having no clue what was going on but trusting in our instincts, followed right after us.

Not a single one of us got away. And after that day, Sabo had a healthy fear of the Fist of Love. Just the mention of Gramps was enough to send a shiver down his spine, just as it did with all of us.

It took awhile to get back to training after our Grandpa finally left, being covered in bruises as each of us were. Once we did, though, we worked twice as hard as before, determined to not let him catch us next time. To further our chances we decided to leave Dadan's hut behind and make our own place to live. It wasn't like we couldn't survive on our own, anyways.

The boys decided on a giant tree house. I'd laughed at the childishness of it but hadn't protested. With all the wildlife prowling around it was a good idea, after all. Plus, it would make it harder for anyone to catch us unawares. It took quite a bit of scavenging for materials in Grey Terminal before we were able to even start building. It became apparent instantly that Luffy was not to be trusted with anything, lest our new home be hopelessly structurally unsound. And since I was such a pro, keeping him occupied was tasked to me.

We decided to fashion it like a pirate ship, with a crow's nest and all. For it to be a pirate ship, though, it had to have a Jolly Roger. The design Sabo came up with was the same I'd seen before: a red A, a blue S and a yellow L. This time, however, instead of two crossbones in the background there was only one. In the other's stead was a purple lily flower, stem flowing behind the letters before swirling to a stop below the A. It was beautiful, honestly, and I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

The new tree fort was only about half built, though still pretty impressive, when May fifth actually rolled around. Neither of us made much of a spectacle out of it as we never really had before. Makino had always made us a big birthday breakfast but seeing as she was so far away now that wasn't an option unless we felt like wasting the day away in Foosha. Regardless, we still exchanged gifts early in the morning, not long after we'd woken up.

It had turned into a sort of tradition over the years, the kind of gift we got for each other. It was never something bought but rather something found. Anything from little trinkets found buried or pieces of driftwood or, once, a cicada shell.

This year I'd found a rock that was flat and rounded, with a bit of a bump in the middle. It looked like a tiny version of Luffy's hat and I'd known it was perfect the minute I laid eyes on it. Luffy was ecstatic, wrapping me in a tight hug before bouncing around the room to show it off to our brothers, who both rolled their eyes but smiled fondly. In turn, Luffy had found me an egg shell, almost completely whole but for the small cracks where the insides had obviously been sucked out by some kind of animal. What was important about this egg shell, though, was the fact that it was a pastel purple, my favorite color. Holding it gently, I gave Luffy's forehead a soft kiss in thanks, making him giggle in delight.

Putting our new treasures away for now with plans to take them to Makino's where the rest of them were stored, we'd been prepared to head out and begin hunting breakfast. Ace and Sabo stopped us before we could.

"Here."

A dagger, carved entirely of wood and looking identical to my jambiya, was thrust into my face. I blinked at it, then Ace, not quite comprehending for a moment. Ace, for his part, was avoiding my gaze by looking at the wall instead, freckles beginning to stand out as his face turned a light pink. Over his shoulder I could see Sabo handing a a Luffy-sized pipe over to my brother, patting him on the head and smiling warmly as he did so.

"You're doing it wrong," I told him, just to be a jerk. "Look at Sabo. You should be following his example."

"Sh-shut up!" Ace yelled back, face flushing straight to bright red as he finally turned to glare at me. "Do you want it or not?!"

"Yes," I softened my tone and smiled, taking the wooden knife from him gently. "It's exactly like mine."

"Yeah, Lu showed us your hiding spot. Sorry." I glared at Luffy even though he wasn't paying me even the slightest bit of attention, before sighing and shrugging my shoulders. It was just Ace and Sabo. "He told us you wanna learn to use it but can't yet. We figured you can use this instead to learn."

"Oh," I was struck speechless for a moment. This carving wasn't just the same size as my jambiya, it was literally a perfect replica, intricate decorations and all. It must've taken _days_ to carve something so detailed. To go so far, just so that I could train with it... "Thank you."

And then, before he could run, I leaned up to place a kiss to his forehead as well. If his face was red before it looked to be practically on fire now.

"Aw, you're so adorable, Ace!" Sabo called from the other side of the room, Luffy giggling at his side even as he continued to try to twirl his new pipe, managing to somehow tie his fingers in knots around it instead.

"Shut up! I'll kick your ass!"

"Yeah, right! You're too flustered to fight!"

" _Shut up!_ "

.

* * *

.

We'd been living in our tree fort together peacefully for about a month before life came crashing down on us.

"Let Sabo go!" I screamed, trying desperately to get back to my feet despite the bruises that were blooming all over my body. Beside me, Luffy and Ace weren't fairing much better.

"Damn you, Bluejam!" Ace was snarling.

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy demanded.

The day had started out fine. We'd headed to Grey Terminal just after breakfast in order to scavenge some more wood for a leak in our roof. Luffy, of course, had decided he wanted a telescope and wasn't about to take no for an answer. I'd been helping him sift through piles of trash when we'd heard our brothers both begin to shout and had run towards them immediately.

What we'd found was Ace on the ground at Sabo's father's feet and Sabo himself being held in Bluejam's tight grip. Behind them stood a group of guards from the city and pirates from Bluejam's crew. Luffy and I had rushed to free our brother, ignoring their shouts of protest, but quickly found ourselves beaten to the ground as well.

"Give him back?" The noble was demanding, sneer on his face. "Try speaking sense! Sabo is my own flesh and blood. It's his duty to live his life according to the wishes of the parents who brought him into this world! How dare you convince him to run away? Are you filthy pieces of trash after my fortune?"

"What the hell did you just say?!" Ace snarled, leaping to his feet only to be instantly beaten back down. The pirate who'd hit him had been wearing brass-knuckles and Ace's blood had splattered onto the noble's face from the hit. He wiped it away quickly in disgust.

"Stupid pirate, be more careful with those children!" He reprimanded. "You got that filthy trash's blood on me. Disgusting. I'll certainly have to wash it later..."

"Stop this already!" Sabo yelled out, more anger on his face than I'd ever seen. "They didn't convince me to run! I ran away because I wanted to!"

"I'll hear no more from you!" He shouted at his son before turning calmly back to the pirate captain. "I'll leave the rest to you, Bluejam."

"But of course. You've paid us well, after all." The man smirked, leering at us. "We'll take care of them. They won't be bothering your little boy any more."

"Wait!" Sabo gasped, anger turning into complete desperation at the thought of us being killed. "Father! I'll give up! I'll do exactly as you say!"

"You'll do what, Sabo?" The noble asked, wanting to hear it said.

"Sabo! Stop!"

"Don't do this! Please!"

"I'll do whatever you tell me! I'll live however you want me to. Just please..." His voice wavered, head turning down so that his face was shadowed by the brim of his hat. "Don't hurt them. I'm begging you... They mean more to me than anything! They're my siblings!"

"Sabo..." Luffy whimpered from my side. I grit my teeth, trying to force myself to stand once more, as Sabo turned and began to walk away by his father's side.

"Oi... Where are you going?!" I yelled after him, voice thick with unshed tears. "I said it, didn't I? You belong here with us! You always will, no matter what! You belong here!"

"We'll be fine, alright?!" Ace was shouting, just as desperate. "So, just get away from those guys! We're going to become free, aren't we?! Are you going to just let it end here?!"

"Sabo!"

Though I could see his shoulders shaking with repressed sobs, Sabo continued to walk onwards and never once looked back.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: This chapter was more of a filler than anything else, I feel, and so it's a bit shorter than the norm. But, oh well. Hopefully you all liked it just the same. And now we're finally getting down to business!**

 **So, I finally got around to drawing what little Lily looks like and I also drew the new ASL Jolly Roger as well. I've been trying to post it to my bio with extremely poor results because ffn is kind of stupid. So, I don't know if it's worked or not. Hopefully it has. Anyways, please check them out if you're interested. Like I said, they're on my bio page.**

 **I've drawn Lily's Romance Dawn appearance as well but I'm going to wait to post that, as there are spoilers in the drawings.**

 **As usual, it's almost 2 in the morning and so I'm not going to proofread any of this. If you spot any mistakes please let me know.**

 **And please follow, favorite or review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Being born a noble isn't something you can achieve through hard work. To be a noble is to be born under a lucky star. Even I'd give anything to trade places with that brat. I would've loved to be born a noble."

Bluejam's casual statement was met by hard silence and bitter glares. My brothers and I stood before him, Ace and Luffy on either side of me. My eyes were darting around, very much aware of the men who had us surrounded. It was all I could do not to turn my back on Bluejam just to keep them all in sight. From the corner of my eye I could see Ace having just as much trouble. The pirate captain himself was sprawled on what looked like a giant overstuffed sack melded into a makeshift thrown. He looked distinctly unimpressed as he gazed down at us.

"So, one of the bratty gang of misfits was actually a noble all along, huh?" He continued on, not at all concerned with our obvious anger. "To think he'd come all the way down from High Town just to make fun of the trash heap. I'm sure he looked down on you three as well, on the inside."

"Shut your mouth," I snarled at him, hands balling into fists so tight I could feel my nails dig into skin.

"Sabo isn't that kind of guy!"

"Yeah, we're his siblings!"

"Fufufu, if you say so," the man laughed, clearly mocking. "But you shouldn't try to go near him from now on. If you planned to, I'd have to kill you right here and now. Besides, if you care about that _brother_ of yours, you'll leave him be."

"But Sabo hates living in High Town!" Luffy yelled out, voice full of distress and face twisted into a glare that didn't look right on his face at all.

"Sabo belongs here, with us," I agreed quietly, voice full of absolute certainty.

"Just forget about him," Bluejam suggested in a voice that made it sound more like an order. I bristled instantly and could see both of my brothers do the same. _This man was not our captain_. "It's for the best. That's what you call kindness, you know... You'll understand when you're older."

The large man looked to the side, gaze resting on what had once been his ship. It was moored now, though, stuck on jagged rocks with no water in sight. It was worn down, the paint even chipping and peeling in some places, clearly having seen better days. I shuddered at the sight of it, remembering the fondness and fierce pride everyone in Shanks' crew had spoken of their ship with, as if it were just as much of a nakama as any of them. To see this sickly imitation of what had probably once been a grand vessel was horrifying in its own way.

"I still have a score to settle with you over the Porchemy indecent," he finally spoke, gaze falling back on us. A grin that looked more like a sneer suddenly twisted his face. "But I figure, let bygones be bygones. You three may be young but you're strong. I like that. Now, I'm kind of low on men right now. How about giving me a hand with a little job?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, too dumbfounded to even be angry. "Why the _hell_ would we -"

"Fine." Ace broke in, tone unyielding. I spun on him, incredulous, but before I could so much as open my mouth to demand an explanation he was darting his eyes around again before turning to meet my gaze. The message was clear. We were in enemy territory and we were surrounded with no chance of fighting our way out. We were trapped.

"Ace?" Luffy asked, clearly not understanding. Before he could say more I grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in mine. He examined my face silently for a moment before nodding, though he clearly wasn't happy about it. None of us were.

"Good," Bluejam grinned meanly, having clearly expected nothing less. He reached into a pocket and withdrew a folded up sheet of paper, which he handed to our oldest brother. "This here is a map of Grey Terminal. I want you to carry boxes to the places marked. That's all there is to it."

Ace nodded once, face as blank as he could make it, before turning to the indicated cargo. Without a word he walked over and hefted one up onto his shoulder before grabbing a second. Luffy and I both hesitated, still not wanting to do this. But, as our brother paused to send an unreadable look in our direction, I grit my teeth and stepped forward to follow his example. Luffy followed instantly.

It was quiet as we loaded up and left the compound beside Bluejam's other men. None of us said a word as we made our way to the trash heap. Ace and I were on guard the entire way, tense and ready to defend at any moment. Luffy was tense as well, knowing that something was wrong even if he didn't understand _what._

The minute the others broke off and we were alone, though, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

" _Goddamn it_!" I yelled, throwing the crate on my shoulder to the ground. "He just helped kidnap our brother and he offered us a job? What the _fuck_?!"

"Be careful with that," Ace commanded, voice dull as he set down his own load.

"Careful? Careful?!" I asked, not believing was I was hearing. "Are you serious right now? This is a waste of our time! We should be hightailing it to High Town right now and getting Sabo back, not carrying out odd jobs for that bastard!"

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, voice quiet. He had been looking progressively more downtrodden as time went on, as if the reality that our brother had been taken and was _gone_ was only just starting to sink in. "I don't want to carry on without Sabo..."

"Look, I feel the same, okay?" He sighed and crossed his arms, not looking at either of us. "But I don't know what's best for Sabo. He could be happy there. And if he's not then he'll come back. We just have to wait and see."

I gaped at him. "You... you're actually serious."

"Of course I am," he responded, voice going quiet. "He'll make his own decision. We can't force him -"

Before I even knew I was moving I'd covered the space between us, lifting my hand and bringing it across his face hard. The sharp _slap!_ that echoed afterwards was the only noise to be heard, but for the sound of people moving about in the distance. Slowly, so slowly, Ace lifted his hand to the growing red mark that now covered the right side of his face, eyes wide and disbelieving before he lowered his head and hid them from view.

"He already made his decision when he ran away in the first place!" I told him harshly. I might've been being unfair but I couldn't help it, overcome with hurt anger as I was. I knew what it was like to be dragged back to a place you didn't want to be time and time again, having experienced it myself in my last life. Ace might not know what that was like but he'd been there, he'd _seen_ the pain in Sabo's eyes as he'd told us about what made him run away in the first place. "He's already been forced! Forced to go back to a place he hated, to live with _abusers_ who don't even care about him beyond how they can use him for their own gain! Just because the life of a noble is more pampered than the life of a boy in a trash heap doesn't mean it's better, or happier! And to close you're eyes and cover your ears to that fact won't make the reality of the world any different! Don't be so naive!"

"Well, what am I supposed to do?!" Ace yelled out, whipping his head up to finally meet my eyes. I froze instantly at the sight of him, the absolute desperation and uncertainty on his face. I could tell he wasn't just yelling out of frustration, he was truly asking, desperate for an answer, any answer. "He made his choice to leave so that we wouldn't be killed! He gave up everything for us! If we went there now to get him back we'd never even make it past the Great Gate and then it would've all been for nothing, he'd still be trapped and we'd be dead! So, I have to think that there's a chance he could be happy because there's _nothing else I can do_!"

He was panting by the time he finished. As soon as he'd caught his breath back he balled up his fists and turned away from me. "We still have crates to set out. Come on."

"Ace..." My voice trembled as I reached out for him, trying to catch hold of his sleeve.

"Let's go." His voice had gone back to the cold, dull tone he'd been using since Sabo had been taken. My hand dropped limply back at my side as he continued to walk away. I glanced back at Luffy to find him already staring back at me, brow furrowed and face filled with distress, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes. I held out my hand to him and he ran forward to latch onto me immediately, needing the comfort. If I was being honest with myself, I needed it just as much.

Sighing, I turned back to follow behind our brother. There was nothing else we could do.

.

* * *

.

It wasn't until the following day that I remembered and realized exactly what it was we had been helping to set up.

By that point it was far too late. Even if I managed to destroy some of the boxes, I'd never be able to get rid of them all in time. I could begin yelling out warnings but, surrounded by Bluejam's pirates as we were, I'd likely be cut down before my voice could even carry far enough to make a difference. And with Luffy and Ace both by my side it was a chance I wasn't willing to take.

And so I choked down the words that wanted to burst forth from me and followed my brothers quietly, pale and shaking. Even though I had no choice it felt like I was letting this happen somehow, like by not taking action I was condoning this atrocity. Even though I knew, having read it in my past life and seen it here firsthand, that most nobles were despicable it was still hard to believe that _anyone_ could be that horrible. To burn hundreds of people alive simply to impress somebody? And to not even feel guilty because you didn't even think of them as people anyways?

This world truly was rotten, in a way that I hadn't yet come to understand.

"Ana?" Ace asked quietly, fingers entwining with mine as he gently squeezed my hand and brought me out of my thoughts. He'd calmed down quite a bit since the day before, though he hadn't talked much more about Sabo, even with Luffy's near nonstop pestering. I could see that he'd decided to not dwell on our blond brother's situation as there really was nothing we could do right now, especially with what I now knew was about to happen; the security at the Great Gate would be impenetrable to a couple of kids like us. Instead he'd chosen to focus on the two siblings that were still at his side and that he could actually do something for. "You okay?"

"You look all white," Luffy cut in, blunt as usual. "Like Dadan does after she gets drunk and is really sick."

"I'm alright," I tried to assure them but was unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. I swallowed thickly, grimacing as both of their gazes suddenly sharpened at the sound. They may not seem like the most observant or conscientious of people but when it came to those they cared about they rarely missed anything important.

"You're not," Luffy decided, voice stern and a bit chastising for lying to him. I ducked my head, ashamed at both hiding how I was feeling and also of the fact that I couldn't tell them the truth.

"I'm not," I admitted. "But none of us are. It's not important right now. Let's just get this over with."

Ace stared at me for another moment before finally nodding, giving my hand one more squeeze before releasing it and stepping forward and away. Luffy was still frowning, clearly not happy that something was wrong with me and he didn't know what it was or how to fix it. As if to remedy this, he continued to stick stubbornly by my side, not letting me get more than a foot away from him. I accepted this almost gratefully, not wanting him out of reach either.

We came to a stop before Bluejam as he turned to smile down at us, eyes full of smug superiority. He thanked us for our hard work mockingly before going on to explain the plan he'd been talking about earlier, as he'd promised. I could only stand there and listen in horrified silence, already having known what was about to happen. I shivered at the easy way he spoke of premeditated murder. Even as he explained our own part in it, ordering his men to hold us down to keep us from running, he never once looked so much as contrite.

"Now that you three know, we can't be letting you go so easily, of course," the captain stepped towards us slowly, eyes taking on an almost manic gleam as he did so. "Before we set this place alight, there's something I've gotta ask you... You wouldn't happen to have a stash of treasure hidden somewhere around here, now, would you?"

"Treasure?" I demanded, ignoring Ace's hiss for me to shut up. "You're talking about murdering hundreds of people and your worried about treasure?!"

I grunted as the man holding me down jammed his knee further into my back but all Bluejam did was laugh. "Quite the spitfire, aren't you? Of course I'm worried about the treasure! Why worry about those worthless people anyways? It's not like it'll make much difference once we're nobles. Trash is trash, after all."

"Once you're... nobles?" Ace asked, not comprehending.

"It's our payment," the pirate captain explained, talking down to him as if he were nothing more than a simpleton child. Ace snarled immediately at the tone, wriggling ineffectually to get out from under his captor. "Promised to us by the King himself. If we complete our duty and set the Grey Terminal ablaze then he'll make us nobles."

Against my better judgement I snorted out a laugh. It had always been a problem of mine, acting out in anger even if I was outnumbered or outmatched. Usually I could be levelheaded and rational, as I often had to be to counteract Luffy's spontaneity. But I was still a Monkey, after all, and I was still _me_. Just like I had when I'd first met Shanks and kicked him in the shins, my anger had a way of overpowering all rationality. It would probably get me killed someday, if that day wasn't today.

"What's so funny, brat?" Bluejam demanded, smirk slipping from his lips. Even though there was a hand tangled in my hair to keep my head down I twisted until he could see the mock pity on my face.

"You've done nothing but go on and on about how nobles don't give a shit about anyone below them. Hell, you've even seen firsthand how they feel about people of lower status just by having them give you this job in the first place," I taunted. "Don't tell me you're _actually_ stupid enough to think they'll hold up their end of the deal?"

His face had grown more and more red as I spoke, anger clouding his entire expression until rage was all I could see in his eyes. "Shut your damn mouth!"

I saw it coming but could do nothing as he swung his foot at my face. It hit my nose with a solid c _rack_ , surely breaking it. I trembled at the throbbing that exploded throughout my head, vision going black for a moment. I could hear both Ace and Luffy yelling out, trying to fight against their captors to get to me and failing.

"You son of a bitch!" Ace was screaming. "Get the fuck away from her!"

"Don't touch Lily!" I hadn't heard rage like that from Luffy in a long time. The anger was gone a moment later, replaced with desperate concern as he began to call out my name. "Lily! Lily!"

I choked for a moment on the blood that was flooding my mouth. Without giving it a second thought I gathered it all up, lifted my head and spit straight at Bluejam's face. The glob hit his cheek and I smiled at the growl that ripped from him, sure that I must have made quite a sight, grinning animalisticly as I was with blood staining my teeth and dripping down my chin.

"Che, whatever," the pirate captain scoffed. "It doesn't do any good to beat you. You'll be dying in agony soon, anyway. Tie them up!" He ordered to the men that were holding us down before turning to the rest of his crew. "Let's make our way to the Gate. The fire's gonna catch any time now."

"Aye!"

My brother's and I fought frantically but it was ultimately futile, probably would've been even if I wasn't feeling woozy because of the blood draining down my throat. Before long the three of us had been tied to a sturdy pole in a triangle formation, rope looped around us tightly multiple times. Once we were secure the men wasted no time in leaving us there. They didn't even spare our yelling a single backwards glance as they flicked matches at the boxes surrounding their compound. A blaze started almost immediately and then we were alone with nothing but the crackling of the fires to answer our desperate calls.

"Dammit!" Ace was snarling, arm jerking as he tried to retrieve something from his pocket. I tried to glance down to see what it was but froze as the pounding in my head picked up at the action, unable to stop the whine that slipped free. "Ana, you okay?"

"Fine," I rasped out even as I gagged. It wasn't like I was a stranger to the taste of blood or even had a problem with it. Accidents happened in training, after all, and our diet consisted of mostly red meat. But that didn't mean the excess that was gathering in the back of my throat didn't make me at least a bit nauseous.

"You're not!" Luffy cried out, wriggling about. His head twisted at an impossible angle in order to see my face. "You're bleeding! And _crying_!"

"I'm not crying!" I denied instantly even though it was obviously a lie. The tears had gathered as soon as the pirates had left and I had no one else to act defiant towards. Used to getting punched or not, and broken nose _hurt_ , okay?

"You are!"

"I'm not! Shut up!"

"Both of you shut up!" Ace commanded harshly. It felt like he was using something to saw at the ropes and I honestly wouldn't be too surprised if that were actually the case. My brother and I both fell silent, pouting. I eyed the flames that were getting steadily closer by the minute, feeling apprehension begin to rise up in my gut.

"Ace..." I called out, voice weak. Already, the heat was pressing down on us, almost unbearable and only getting worse. I couldn't even see the sky anymore through the thick fog of smoke that covered everything.

"I know," he grit out through his teeth. "Almost... There!"

As it snapped he didn't waste even a moment in pulling the ropes from around us and helping me to my feet, bracing me when I stumbled with a wave of vertigo. My stomach was roiling at the quick action but I ignored it and pushed the feeling down. We had to get out of here. There was no time for feeling sick.

"Hot! It's so hot!" Luffy was crying. "Where are we meant to run?!"

I could feel the tears in my eyes slip free despite how hard I tried to stop them. We were surrounded on all sides by the blazing heat. I reached over to latch onto Luffy and held him tight. My voice was full of despair when I asked Ace, "How do we get out of here?"

His eyes darted around frantically before zeroing in on a section of flame that wasn't as high or as bright as the rest. "This way."

We followed carefully behind him, making sure to not lose him in the smoke, but both of us continued to cry out at the heat. I knew I wasn't helping by doing so. Luffy was eight in both body and mind, so it was okay for him, but I really had no excuse. I should've been able to keep calm, at the very least to make sure my brothers could. Panicking wasn't helping anybody.

But I was _scared_. And mentally older or not I was still a kid. And I didn't want to die here, like this.

"If you're gonna keep crying about everything," Ace spun around to yell at us, finally reaching the end of his patience, "them I'm gonna leave you behind!"

We both jumped, clamping our lips shut so as not to make any further noise. We were unable to help the tears that continued to slip free though. Satisfied, Ace turned and began to lead the way once more.

"It's hurts..." Luffy whimpered from my side before seeming to remember. "Ah! I mean, it doesn't hurt!"

"It's getting harder to breathe..." I gasped out involuntarily a few minutes later before quickly snapping my mouth closed. "Sorry..."

"We'll get through this somehow," Ace assured us, walking on determinedly. "You've got me, remember? We're gonna be fine."

I wanted to scoff, to tell him the world didn't work like that. That our survival wasn't something he could promise. But I didn't. Because, illogical or not, I could feel myself relaxing a bit at his certainty. It didn't make any sense. I more than anyone should have known how foolish it was. But my big brother had just made me a promise and, childish as it was, I believed him.

Before any of us could say more, though, a section of trash behind us crashed down, sending scorching ash flying and causing the flame to begin to devour at a much faster rate.

"Shit!" Ace cursed. "Lily! Luffy! Run!"

We raced forward as quickly as we could, blind to everything around us but for the diminishing path beneath our feet and the ever-encroaching heat. I didn't know how long we'd been running for when we reached a dead end.

"Damn," Ace and I both spun in circles, desperate to find another path.

"Do you think the guys from the trash heap made it out in time?" Luffy asked quietly, face lined in worry. If it had been any other time I probably would have cooed at him, completely helpless in the face of how selfless he could be at times. As it was, I had to tamp down on the urge to shake him and yell about priorities.

"This is no time to be worrying about other people!" Ace yelled at him in my stead, coughing as his lungs continued to fill with smoke. "I can't even tell where we are anymore..."

"Ace," I tried to warn, spotting a shadow making it's way towards us on the other side of a pillar of flame. Before I could say more, though, a coughing fit tore through me, doubling me over and the sick feeling I'd been pushing down this whole time reared its head. Next this I knew I was on my knees and retching, hacking up blood and the snake we'd had for breakfast what felt like a lifetime ago. There were two shouts of alarm behind me and then a hand was rubbing my back while another was lifting my hair out of the way.

"Lily," Luffy was whimpering, head bent low as he tried to get a look at my face.

"I'm fine," I tried to tell them, breathless, as I began to struggle to my feet once more. The hand that had been stroking my back slipped under my arm to help me instead and soon I was standing with Ace's support. "There's no time."

There was a frantic panic in our oldest brother's eyes as he roved them over my face. Spotting no further injury then my crooked nose, though, he took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. "We have to go -"

"Who said you brats could leave?!" A voice snarled out from behind us and we spun around only to come face to face with Bluejam and what was left of his crew. I cursed, having already forgotten the silhouette I'd seen only minutes before.

"Bluejam?" Ace yelled out in shock. "You're the ones who started this fire in the first place! What are you doing still hanging around?!"

"Shut the fuck up!" The captain yelled, enraged. "We're suffering in the pits of despair right now! Humans are such strange creatures, don't you think? We hit rock bottom, we can't help but stand there and laugh!" As if to emphasize his point they all threw back their heads and laughed uproariously.

"Let's get out of here!" Ace grabbed hold of our arms and was trying to pull us away rapidly. "They've lost their minds!'

"Don't let 'em escape!"

We turned only to find our path blocked by more pirates. The grins that covered their faces were more than a bit unsettling.

"Don't you remember?" Bluejam asked, stepping towards us casually. "We're pals, we are! We pulled this job together. It's only right that we should die together here!" He chuckled at the thought even as my brothers and I continued to pale at the sight of him. "You never did tell us where that treasure of yours was. We'll take it off your hands before it goes up in flames. Tell us where it is!"

"You're worrying about treasure when your lives are in danger?!" Ace demanded, taking a step forward to place himself between us and the crazed captain.

"By that logic, why wouldn't you tell us?" He grinned seemingly pleasantly. "If you're not going to go collect it, then it'll all go to waste."

"Don't be stupid!" Luffy yelled out, offended. "That's the treasure is Ace and Sabo -"

"Alright," Ace agreed quietly, face falling into a blank glare once more. "I'll tell you."

"Ace!" My brother cried out in dismay. "But you and Sabo worked your asses off for -"

"Sabo would understand." Our oldest brother cut him off ones more, tone resolute and full of certainty. "All that matters now is your - is _our_ lives!"

I glanced at him sharply at the slip-up but said nothing. He was right. No treasure was worth our lives. I held my tongue as Ace described where their hiding place was, even going so far as to draw a map, all the while the fire crackled around us.

I continued to say nothing up until I was snatched up from behind. I could hear my brother's crying out as well.

"What the hell?!" I yelled out, kicking ineffectually. "He told you where the fucking treasure was, you pieces of shit!"

"And what if you lot are lying, hm?" I flinched when Bluejam's dark gaze landed on me. "You're coming with us."

"Like hell!" Ace protested immediately. "If we go we'll lose our only chance to escape! If you want it that much, go after it yourselves!"

In one fluid motion the captain reached behind his back and pulled out a pistol before leveling it directly at my face. I sucked in a sharp breath as I found myself literally staring down the barrel of a gun with no way to escape or dodge.

"Don't make me any more angry than I already am," he warned. "I've sworn that I'm going to make it through this god-forsaken mess and when I do I'm gonna get my revenge on those damn nobles, even if I have to steal treasure from a bunch of filthy brats to do it! That so-called _brother_ of yours is just the same, you know. Every last one of them thinks they're better than the rest of us!"

"Sabo's not like that!" Ace yelled, fury contorting his face into a vicious snarl.

"Oh, yes, he is, you brainless fool! He only hung around with you idiots so that he could feel superior! With parents as rich as his, what burdens would he have ever had to carry?! Face it! You were just being used as idle playthings for some noble kid's amusement! He was probably looking down on you the entire time, pinching his nose and laughing!"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" I demanded, practically frothing at the mouth in rage. "You don't know a damn thing! Don't blame others for your own stupidity!"

Bluejam growled loudly, stalking towards me until the pistol in his hand was pressed firmly against my temple. "What was that, you little bitch?!"

Before I could do more than glare back, defiant, I heard a cry from one of the other pirates.

"That's right, all Sabo ever wanted was to be free!" Luffy yelled from where he was biting down on his captor's arm, hard enough to draw blood. He dropped to his feet and instantly turned to glare at Bluejam. "Get the hell away from my sister, you bastard!"

"Luffy!" I yelled out, the fear I hadn't felt moments before ramming into me with the force of a freight train. Because the pissed off pirate who'd been holding my brother was now reaching for the sword strapped to his back. "No!"

He tried to lift his pipe to defend against the hit. But, new pipe or not, it was no match against the sharpness of a blade and was cut through as easily as tissue paper. The sword continued to swing down, unobstructed, until it finally hit, slicing a large gash directly into Luffy's face. He fell to the ground, blood pouring down his face and both hands pressed tightly to his eyes as he cried out. For a second I was horrified by the thought that he'd been cut across his eyes.

" _Luffy!_ " Ace and I both yelled out, struggling doubled in our desperation to get to him. The pirate lifted his sword again, pointing it directly at our brother's unprotected stomach and beginning to ram it downwards.

" _Don't you dare touch Luffy!_ "

I'd only had a moment to suck in a breath to yell before I was hit with what felt like a punch directly to my very soul and choked. The world went still, like even the fire itself had frozen in shock, before the pirates around us began to fall one by one until only us and Bluejam were left.

As soon as I hit the ground I was racing to Luffy's side, desperate to check on him. Just as I was lifting him up, moving his hands to get a look at the large cut on his forehead - not his eyes, _thank the gods_ \- I heard a thump behind us and turned to find Ace trapped under Bluejam's boot, pistol now aimed at his face.

"What did you do, you piece of shit?!" He was demanding, eyes manic and crazed. He didn't even wait for an answer before cocking his weapon. I swear I could feel my heart literally stop.

"No! Ace!"

"Ace!" I was trying to scramble towards him but there was no way I'd make it in time, he was already pulling the trigger, _I wasn't gonna make it._...

The gun went off, but was now pointed at the sky instead. Dadan, out of breath and glaring fiercely, pulled her ax back from where she'd used it to redirect the shot and then swung it at the captain, forcing him to dodge and set Ace free.

"Give it up, you stinking sea monster!" The woman was yelling as she chased after him with a few more swings, getting him further and further from our oldest brother. "Get the fuck away from our Ace!"

The boy in question had sat up and was staring at Dadan in wonder, shock covering his face.

"Dadan!" Luffy yelled before wincing and bringing a hand back up to press against his wound.

"What..." Ace trailed off, gaze snapping towards movement behind us and I turned to find mountain bandits crowding around. "What are you guys doing here?!"

Dogra made his way to Luffy and I instantly, bending down to tilt my brother's head and get a closer look. "Oi! That's a nasty wound you've got there, Luffy!"

"Dogra..." I could feel tears building in my eyes again at the sheer relief at seeing them all, a feeling I honestly never thought I'd have.

"Where's Sabo? Isn't he always with you?"

"No... Sabo's safe..." Luffy was beginning to wheeze, the smoke definitely taking it's toll, and I honestly wasn't much better off. I said nothing in protest as Magra came around to my other side and lifted me up gently.

"You..." Bluejam's eyes darted about, surveying each of us in turn before landing on Dadan. "You're the boss of those ruffians from Mt Colubo."

"I'm Dadan the Bandit. And for better or for worse I'm the guardian of these brats!" I stared at the back of her head in complete shock. She'd claimed the boys as her own in the manga, I knew, but up until this point I was certain she'd seen us as nothing more than an annoyance that she couldn't get rid of. To hear her say otherwise, to hear her actually claim us in what sounded suspiciously like _pride_...

"Now," she continued solemnly, back straight and head held high. The image lasted for only a moment before she was whipping around towards us, face a mask of fright. "RUN!"

If I'd been standing on my own I probably would have fallen over in shock at the complete one-eighty she had just done. As it was, I could only grip onto Magra's arm tightly as he immediately obeyed the order.

"I..." We'd only made it a few steps before Ace's voice cut through the air, strong and determined, and I wanted nothing more than to groan out loud. I knew exactly what that meant but I'd been hoping it wouldn't happen. "...won't run!"

"What do you think you're saying, Ace?" Dadan demanded. "This is Bluejam! His strength's not just for show, you know! You don't stand a chance against a guy like him!"

"I'll... fight, too..." Luffy gasped out, pawing weakly at Dogra's hands.

"Me, too," my voice came out stronger, if a bit raspy. The arms around me tightened before I could even begin to wiggle. Dadan had fallen silent, staring at Ace's back and the unwavering set of his shoulders. After a moment more she took a step forward even as she called back to us.

"Take Luffy and Lily and go."

"Boss?!"

"I'll take full responsibility for Ace," she looked over her shoulder at us, meeting first Luffy's eyes and then mine, showing us just how much she meant what she said, "and see to it myself that he gets back safe and sound! Now, go!"

The bandits didn't waste another moment, turning and sprinting away, not slowing down even as Luffy and I began to fight with all of our pathetic might, clawing desperately for freedom.

"Ace! _Ace!_ "

"We can't just leave them, dammit!" I screamed, crying in earnest now. I was practically begging and I didn't even care. "We have to go back! Please! _ACE!_ "

They continued forward, though, undeterred, and the last thing I saw was Ace's back before the sight of him was swallowed by the flames.

.

* * *

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 **A/N: I don't know if Bluejam's ship was actually unusable. The crew all head back to it when they can't get through the gate, as if they could use it to escape, so maybe I'm wrong. But in one of the panels it looked like it was sitting on rock instead of in water and so I went with it. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong and we can just call it artistic license haha**

 **I had thought it was strange that Ace would accept a job from Bluejam after what the guy had done to them so far. The only conclusion that I could come to was that he knew Bluejam wasn't actually asking and instead of fighting and risking Luffy he decided to just go with it from the get-go.**

 **You'll be finding out Sabo's fate in the next chapter! I was originally gonna break it up into two chapters so I could leave you with a horrible cliffhanger (not like you would've been waiting long anyways with the way I've been posting) but ultimately decided against it as it would've meant the chapters being super short. It'll have a lot more original content, too. I copied a lot of things word for word from the manga in this chapter, which I hate doing because it's boring, but it had to be done. Lily's presence wouldn't change much in this instance, honestly. But just you wait!**

 **I'm super excited to post the next chapter! I'm really hoping you guys will like it...**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please favorite, follow or leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Trigger warning for severe burns and drowning? I guess. And _emotions_. Can't forget those. **

**.**

* * *

.

Luffy and I continued to struggle, even as our limbs gave out and our strength was lost.

The bandits had cleared a path on their way to find us and so we were able to make it into the forest and up the mountain with no further problems. The jungle itself was eerily silent, not a single animal in sight, and the only thing that could be heard was the raging fire behind us and the screams of the people who were trapped in it.

I wanted to cover my ears, to not have to listen to their suffering, but I refused to allow myself to be so weak. What right did I have to ignore them when I was already safe? To do that would make me no better than the nobles, safe and probably sleeping in their beds up in High Town at this very moment. And so even though it felt like I was dying a little more inside with every pain filled shriek that split the air I made myself listen. And when we got back to the hideout and my nose had been set and taped, I dragged myself to the top of the hill and forced myself to look, so that I would never forget the horror of what was taking place.

As time passed and Ace and Dadan remained gone more and more of the bandits joined me, keeping a desperate eye out for them. As soon as he'd been bandaged, Luffy had stepped up next to me and had taken a tight grip on my hand. I squeezed back hard enough that, on a regular person, I probably would've broken bones.

As the night went on sobs began to break out as hope was lost. The men all began crying out, calling for Dadan and Ace both, as if the volume of their voices alone would make them appear. Luffy cried out, too, in a broken and pleading tone, and probably would've made a run for it to go look for them if Dogra wasn't also keeping a tight hold on him.

For my part, I cried silently, never once taking my eyes from the inferno below. I wouldn't give up. I wouldn't.

Ace would be okay. He had to be.

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* * *

.

It was mid-afternoon the next day when Luffy finally lost his patience. It didn't help that Dogra had come back with some pretty gruesome news.

"I have to go find them!" My brother was yelling, weakly trying to fight his way up. The bandage was wrapped thickly around his head, covering his right eye as well. He was gritting his teeth and I could tell that it hurt but he was determined.

Determined or not, though, he was still an injured eight-year-old and it didn't take much to keep him down. "Now, now, Luffy," Magra was saying in an effort to calm the boy. "Your wounds are still deep. You need to rest!"

"Yeah," Dogra agreed, nodding solemnly. "And besides, Grey Terminal is not a place you wanna be caught in right now. It's crawling with guards who are cleaning up what's left. And not just the trash, either, but the people, too!"

"But..."

"Don't worry," the small-statured bandit tried to comfort. "They're both strong. And I'm gonna head back out, too, and I'll keep an eye out for them."

Having said his piece, he stood and made his way back to the door despite the whimpers now escaping from my brother. I reached down to clasp Luffy's arm tightly, bringing his attention to me.

"They'll be okay," I promised him, praying that I was right, and he quieted instantly. "They'll come back."

I waited until he nodded before releasing him and making my way outside, barely stopping long enough to slip my shoes on.

"Dogra!" I called out, causing the man to stop and glance back at me. "I'm coming with you."

"What!" He yelled, disbelieving. "No, you're not! It's too dangerous!"

"Either you take me with you or I wait until you're gone and I go on my own," I told him calmly, leaving no room for argument. He stared at me for another moment before sighing loudly and slumping, holding his head in his hands.

"Ahhh, the boss is gonna kill me," he groaned to himself in agitation. "Fine. Whatever. But stay close! Don't go off on your own!"

"Right," I agreed instantly. Satisfied, he turned to begin leading the way without another word.

The hike itself took no time at all. When we reached the treeline Dogra held up a hand to call a halt and I froze instantly. He was looking out from around a giant tree trunk, eyes slowly scanning the area for anyone that could be nearby.

"We have to be careful," he whispered to me. "We need to move silently and quickly. So make sure you keep an eye on where you're stepping. Try to follow my path as well as you can. If I say to hide, you hide. If I say to run, you run."

I nodded silently and then we were off.

It was quite the experience, stalking through the trash heap like a prowling hunter. Or maybe more like a rabbit trying to escape said hunter? Either way, despite the seriousness of the situation, I found myself enjoying the act itself. It helped that I had a bit of experience with being sneaky already from all the pickpocketing I'd done in the last few months. Ace and Sabo had both been pleasantly surprised with the skill I'd had for it.

The trash heap itself was a wreck, filled with ash and burnt remains of both objects and people. The smell was overwhelming, worse than it'd ever been before. Because now it was trash and rot covered by the scent of overcooked meat. The combination had me swallowing down bile. Like Luffy the night before, I wondered how many had made it out and how many had died in agony. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know.

Even moving slowly and stopping frequently it took no time at all to reach the Gate. I was surprised when Dogra started leading me in the opposite direction of the entrance and moved along the wall instead. It was nothing compared to the shock I felt when he pressed against a section of stone and it slide aside easily, granting us passage into the city.

He smirked when he noticed the look on my face. "We might not do it much anymore, but we're still bandits. Do you know how many times we've raided Edge Town? Of course we made our own way in."

Once inside he began to lead the way to the port, where I could already see a large crowd gathering. Grabbing my arm, he steered me to the side to the very outskirts of the crowd while still remaining hidden amongst the people.

"Hey, isn't that a fishing boat?"

"What's that kid doing?!"

"He'll mess up the ceremony!"

"Dogra," I whispered, eyes glued to the boat I could now see just leaving the bay. There was a pit of dread forming in my stomach. "What's going on?"

"One of the Celestial Dragons are visiting today," he answered me absently as he lifted his binoculars to his face, trying to get a better look. He paled instantly. "Hey... Hey, isn't that Sabo?"

I froze, knowing that it was, knowing that it had to be. Before I could even answer another ship came into sight, large and dwarfing the tiny fishing boat Sabo had pilfered. All around, voices broke out, some cheering while other's continued to cry out warnings to the boy in the boat.

I stood there, rigid, determined to let this happen. He wasn't going to die. He wouldn't. He would be saved and he would become a Revolutionary. He wouldn't remember us, but that was okay. He would be alive and happy and away from this place. It was fine. It was okay.

No matter how many times I repeated it, I couldn't force myself to believe it.

Even expecting it, the first shot fired was a shock. The crowd went silent, most staring in disbelief as the tiny ship began to smolder and burn. Even from this far out I could see Sabo's silhouette as he tried desperately to smother the flames with his jacket. He wouldn't be able to. Not in time for the second shot.

He might not survive. It wasn't a certainty, after all.

As soon as this thought went through my head I was running, ignoring Dogra's cry of alarm and grasping hands.

Yeah, in the manga he'd been fine. But how many times did I have to remind myself that this wasn't a manga anymore? This was real life, and these were real people, and that was my _brother_ trapped on that ship. Did I really want to chance his life like that?

 _No_ , I answered myself immediately. _Never._

Diving into the water was like diving into a slate of freezing concrete. But even as the pain rippled through me, sending my broken nose throbbing all over again, I pushed through it. I didn't surface and instead used the momentum of my jump to carry me faster, pumping my arms and legs in strong, sure strokes. One of the things I'd trained rigorously in the last year was my ability to swim, and to hold my breath for long periods of time. My older brothers had thought I was crazy. Until one day, while hunting, Luffy had slipped and fallen into a raging river, swept away out of sight almost instantly. It had taken us nearly six minutes to pull him out and by that time he hadn't been breathing.

It hadn't taken me long to resuscitate him using CPR, while they looked on in helpless panic and desperation, but after that incident they never questioned me again. Had, in fact, joined me.

I was thankful for that now as I moved swiftly towards the shadow that was my brother's boat. I could see the orange outline of flames even from here and the moment I broke the surface the heat was like a physical punch to the face.

I scaled the side quickly and it was just as I jumped over the rail and landed on the deck that I heard the second shot ring out.

"Sabo!" I yelled, barely able to keep my feet as I ran towards where he still stood trying to put out the flames. He'd just turned to look at me, horror in his eyes, when the boat rocked sharply, almost capsizing. As his top hat was blown away by the force of the explosion, I could hear the wood creaking and cracking as it broke apart from the blow. "Sabo, we have to jump!"

"What are you doing here?!" He screamed, panicked, and the moment I was within reach he was grasping both of my shoulders in a tight grip and shaking me. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Of course I'm here!" I yelled back at him. "Did you think I'd just leave you? Now, let's _go_!"

We hadn't even turned towards the water when a groan went through the ship and the entire vessel finally gave out, splintering apart beneath our feet and sending us under the waves. Broken pieces of timber fell with us, dragging us further down, and I winced as I felt quite a few scrape against me. I lost sight of Sabo for a moment in the chaos and when I finally spotted him again he was floated listlessly, bubbles flowing from his open mouth and clearly unconscious.

Cursing every deity I could think of I lunged for him, grabbing a fist-full of his shirt and dragging him upwards with all of my might, doing my best to ignore the cloud of red that followed behind him. I broke the surface and was pulled back under before I'd even taken a breath. It took a few more tries, the still sinking bits of boat along with the wake created by the World Nobles' ship making the sea extremely choppy, but finally I was able to grab hold of a sizable piece of what looked like part of the upper deck. It took more strength than I thought I had to haul my brother onto the semi-steady surface and even more to climb up after him.

I didn't have time to rest, though, because he still wasn't breathing.

Getting into position immediately, I placed the heel of my palm against his chest, threading the fingers of my opposite hand through to add more force, and began pressing down.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive," I mumbled to myself as I went, ensuring that I kept a steady rhythm despite the frantic beating of my own heart in my ears. After counting thirty, I leaned down to breath for him twice before starting the cycle all over again. "C'mon, Sabo, c'mon... Don't you dare give up on me. Don't you dare die here!"

The calm I'd forced on myself was quickly slipping through my hands as the seconds passed and he remained unresponsive. The muscles in my arms were burning, threatening to give out in exhaustion, and I was beginning to get extremely light-headed. I wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer, no matter how desperate to save him I was.

Finally, though, _finally_ he gave a chocked cough and gagged. I turned him into a recovery position instantly, holding him steady while he puked up sea water. I sighed, almost going limp with relief as his eyes slit open. They were dazed and unfocused but they were aware.

"Ana...?" He mumbled out, voice raspy and raw.

"I'm right here," I assured him softly. "Shh, I'm right here."

"What -"

I'd never find out what he'd been about to ask because in that moment, the flaming remains of the mast broke off from what was left of the deck and came crashing down on us. I barely had time to cover the limp form of my brother before it hit.

There was a moment of shock followed by one of _pain_ as it slammed into my back, the flames catching to my shirt and the burning metal searing into my skin in the seconds it took before Sabo and I were sent plummeting under the water once more. This time, though, I wasn't able to keep my breath. I'd sucked in a hiss instinctively at the blistering heat and had instead gotten a mouthful of brine. Trying to choke it back out didn't help at all when I had no air and before I could even try to reach the surface again the mast continued it's decent, leaving me pinned below it.

I didn't have the strength left to lift it. I couldn't see Sabo anymore. For all I knew he was pinned and helpless just like I was. As the black spots began to encroach upon my vision, chest burning with the need to _breathe_ , I couldn't help but curse at myself. Was this my fault? Was my brother dead now, all because I'd tried to change the story line, had tried to save him?

 _Sabo, Luffy, Ace,_ I thought as I closed my eyes, the pain in my head coming to a crescendo and feeling as if it were about to pop. I couldn't fight it any longer, my body giving out, and I began to suck in water. _I'm sorry._

And then the world went dark.

.

* * *

.

I could definitely say that waking was a surprise.

It took a few minutes to blink my eyes open and adjust them to the light of the room I was in. A room I'd never seen before. I was laying on my stomach on what looked like a medical cot, sterile white sheet wrapped around my waist and my long black hair loose and fanning out around me. Taking a second, I tensed my limbs individually and, while sore and scabbed in a few places, they felt relatively fine.

That was to say nothing of my back, though, which felt like _shit_. At least, around the outer edges it did, on my hips and lower back and across my shoulder blades. Like I'd been skinned alive and then boiled. The middle of my back, though, had no feeling at all and I couldn't help but think that this probably wasn't a very good sign.

I didn't have the time for self-pity, though. My memory may be spotty as to where I was and how I'd gotten there but I remembered one thing for sure: Sabo had been with me. And, in agony or not, I had to find him. To see with my own eyes that he was okay.

It was with this thought that I brought my arms under me and levered myself up. I had to go slowly as, more than once, I almost blacked out again at the motion. But I was determined and eventually made it into a sitting position, legs dangling over the edge as I panted. My eyes scanned the room slowly now that I could see it clearly. The floors and walls were wooden. The door stood to the right of me, closed, while a giant bookcase was situated on the wall opposite of me, placed next to a rather large desk. Next to that was what looked to be a locked medicine cabinet. To my left rested another cot, identical to mine. That wasn't what was important, though.

What was important was just who was in the cot. _Sabo_.

I didn't stop to think as I hopped to my feet, not even slowing to ride out the wave of vertigo that hit me. I mostly stumbled my way to his side blindly, vision having blacked out once more. It wasn't until I was at his side, clutching his hand in mine that I allowed myself to breathe. I climbed up next to him, taking special care to be gentle as I'd seen the bandages wrapped around what looked like _all of him_. The bed wan't that big but then neither were we, and we both fit on it easily. Releasing a sigh of relief, I laid myself down beside him, stubbornly ignoring the searing pain of my lower and upper back as I gazed up at his face, at the steady rise and fall of his chest, at the proof that he was still alive.

I must have drifted off at some point as, the next thing I knew, the door behind us was opening and a woman in a white coat with long blonde hair and pine green eyes was stepping into the room. I'd jumped up instantly at the noise, leaning over my brother in order to shield him from whatever was coming. I might be in pain and trembling with the effort to hold myself up but he was completely unconscious with no hope of protecting himself right now. So, it was up to me to do it for him.

"Oh!" The woman froze as she looked up and met my gaze, clearly surprised, before her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're not supposed to be up yet."

I snarled at her as she began to stalk towards me, muscles pulling taut as I prepared myself to attack. It was stupid, I knew. I could already feel that I was too weak to do any real damage. The moment I tried to move, my back was likely to protest severely, and it would probably have me on the floor before she could even touch me. Still, though, I had to try.

The sound that had ripped from me had made the woman pause and she was now regarding me warily. Less like she was scared _of_ me and more like she was scared _for_ me. Which definitely didn't boost my confidence.

"Stay the fuck away from us," I commanded as sharply as I could, wincing when my voice cracked in the middle. I hoped she didn't hear it but, judging by the slight quirk of her lips, I was likely hoping in vain.

"You're not really in a position to give orders," she spoke in obvious amusement. "Even without that burn on your back, you look like you could barely hurt a fly."

"Shut the fuck up!" I snapped, wanting desperately to lunge at her but knowing that doing so would leave Sabo defenseless. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."

The woman raised her eyebrow at me, clearly unimpressed. "Says the girl to the girl. I wasn't referring to your gender. I was referring to your _age_."

It was my turn to pause as I searched her face. She didn't look away or mask her expression, patiently waiting for me to finish. She seemed to be speaking honestly. Still, that didn't make her an ally.

"Who are you? And where the hell are we?"

"My name is Cala. We're currently on a Revolutionary ship." She smirked as I paled, mouth gaping open.

It wasn't so much that I was surprised, but... It was still somehow shocking to me. "Is... Is Dragon on this ship?"

She blinked at me but whether it was because of my question or my hesitant tone, I had no clue. Her own tone was vague as she answered. "He's around."

I wasn't likely to get more than that from her and so I let it be. I moved on to my next question instead. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" She asked, worry in her tone. She continued her way to my side and, despite the way I tensed, lifted her hand and placed it against my forehead. "Hmm, still a bit warm. But much better than it was. So long as you keep it clean, the chance of infection is low. Iva-sama really is a miracle worker."

"Infection... miracle... What?" I finally got out, confused and frustrated. She smiled apologetically at me.

"You and this boy were on a boat that was shot down by -"

"The Celestial Dragon, I know. And then we were pulled under. What I don't know is what happened _after._ "

"You were fished out by Dragon-sama and some of his men. Barely even alive, too. He brought you both back here and we did everything we could for you. It's all thanks to Iva-sama that you survived. We were able to cut away the dead tissue without many complications and you didn't need a skin graft, which was good. You'll likely be a bit stiff for awhile but you should be able to eventually gain most of your original range of movement. You're unlikely to regain feeling, though. The boy needed a few grafts on his chest but it was nothing major. He almost lost the vision in his left eye but we were able to get to him in time." She took a moment to let that sink in, clearly seeing the way I shivered at the thought of Sabo going blind. Her tone gentled as she continued. "You'll both be pretty severely scarred, though. The boy worse than you. But neither of you escaped without a mark."

"I see..." I let out a slow breath and closed my eyes. I could feel a tightness on my back. The skin from my left hip, diagonally upwards to right below my armpit felt stiff. Hard, like it was scabbing over. But, in the middle over my spine, I felt nothing at all, despite the severity of the blistering pain that covered my shoulders and lower back. So, most likely second degree burns around the edges and third degree in the middle.

Then I looked towards Sabo, whose body seemed covered in damage. Most of it was located on his left side, though. Including the left side of his face, which was currently hidden beneath thick bandages. I turned back to meet Cala's eyes and then, not giving myself a chance to think it over, I bowed my head to her. "Thank you for saving us."

Her hand beneath my chin was lifting me up immediately. "No need for all that. You'll pull at your wound and undo all of our work."

"Right," I flushed slightly at the admonishment. "How long...?"

"Have you been out?" She waited until I nodded to continue. "Two days."

"Two -" I gaped at her, eyes going wide. " _Two days_?! Are you serious?!"

"Of course I'm serious," she muttered but I completely ignored her.

"We have to go! We have to go _now!_ " I was already twisting back towards my brother, set on lifting him up and carrying him if I had to, desperate as I was.

"Hey!" Next thing I knew Cala had me pinned on my stomach, arms trapped beneath me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We have to go!" I yelled again, frustrated that she wasn't listening.

"I heard you the first time," she snapped. "Where? Why?"

"Home! Our brothers, they're waiting for us! Shit, they probably think we're _dead_ , oh my _god_ -" the very thought made my stomach clench tightly. "Ace is probably freaking the fuck out right now and _Luffy..._ Shit!"

"You're not going anywhere until I say so," Cala spoke sternly. Her tone didn't change at all from one of cold professionalism, no matter how much I tried to buck her off of me. "You might be able to move right now but this other kid definitely isn't. He's your brother, you said? Taking him anywhere now would only aggravate his already severe wounds and would probably reopen quite a few of them. I doubt he'd survive the trip. Is that what you want?"

"No," I whispered, finally falling still. I shoved my face into the bed beneath me, not wanting her to see the tears that had fallen at the thought of Sabo dead. "But... I can't just..."

"You can and you will." Cala heaved a big sigh as I remained silent. "Look, I'm not trying to be awful here, okay? But your brother really can't be moved. He's my patient right now, which means he's my responsibility. So, I'm sorry, but until it's safe to move him he's going to be staying right here."

When I still said nothing, didn't even move, the woman sighed again before slowly getting off of me. I only listened with half an ear as she walked around the room, checking on Sabo and writing down her findings until, after a few minutes, she left the room without another word.

.

* * *

.

I was awoken for the second time by the sound of the door opening. I sat up from my brother's side quickly with a wince as my back protested, turning around with an apology for my earlier behavior already on my tongue when I saw just who it was standing there and froze.

It was a man, not a woman as I'd expected. He had long black hair, a stern face and fierce eyes, though the expression he was directing towards me could only be described as _soft_. His body was hidden beneath a long dark green cloak, but I could tell that he was large, with broad shoulders. His most defining feature, however, was the red tattoo that covered the left side of his face.

"You're..." I whispered, unable to speak any louder in the sudden silence of the room. "Dragon. Dragon the Revolutionary."

"I am," he confirmed and my breath caught at the sound of his voice.

"You saved us."

"I did," his eyes lost some of their intensity for a moment, though they had yet to leave my face. Almost like he was drinking in every detail of me, just the same as I was doing to him. After a moment where neither of us said anything, he stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him. Making a detour to the desk in order to grab the chair, he walked over to my bedside and sat down before me. "That boy... I met him in Goa. He was injured, and crying, and desperate. This world has made him ashamed of who he was born as."

I turned at his words to regard my brother's face, peaceful in sleep but hiding so much inner pain. I couldn't help but reach out and run my hand gently through his hair, careful to avoid any of his injuries. "This world has a way of doing that."

"It does," he agreed calmly, though I could hear the emotion lurking just beneath the surface. "Has it done the same to you?"

I turned to face him sharply at the question. His face gave nothing away. If I didn't already know just who this man was in relation to me, I never would have guessed it, even now. I made sure to think out my answer carefully, wanting to get it right.

"I have three older brothers," I started, seeing him tilt his head slightly but he didn't interrupt to ask. "The oldest is the son of a pirate. One that a lot of people hate. And so he grew up hating himself and thinking he didn't deserve to live, because that's what the world told him. The second oldest was born a noble." I glanced over at Sabo, watching the way his chest shifted with his soft breathing as I continued. "He grew up feeling like nobody cared about who he was but only how he could be of use. He wasn't worth anything unless he brought wealth and prestige to the family. He watched as his birth parents spat and walked over those beneath them without a care and with no consequence, and he felt ashamed of his blood."

I looked up to meet Dragon's gaze again, refusing to look away from the intensity of his stare, no matter how much it felt like he was looking right through me. "I was born after the last of my brothers, my only blood brother, Luffy. Neither of us heard much about our parents growing up. In fact, I'm pretty sure Lu doesn't even know we _have_ parents. But I do know that people view my father as a criminal. As the worst criminal in the world." Dragon's eyes widened slightly at my statement but I continued on before he could say anything. "I don't know if that's true. All I have to go on is other people's word and there's no way I can tell what's lie and what's truth from just that. But, regardless, to be ashamed of my blood would be to be ashamed of Luffy's. And Luffy..."

I paused, trying to find the best way to explain my impossible brother. "Luffy is like the sun. He is, he's my sun. You can't help but revolve yourself around him. He's bright and full of laughter and love. And Ace, he's so strong. He's protective of us, always watching out for us. He's gruff and sometimes he's a jerk but he never pushes us away when we need him. And Sabo, he's smart and patient and caring. He never yells at us when we don't get things quickly. He's been teaching Luffy to read and even when Lu loses interest and runs off he never gets mad. They're my brothers. And I love them with all of me. And to be ashamed of my blood would be to be ashamed of theirs. Would be to be ashamed of _them_. And I don't care what the world says, I don't even care if all of it is true. So what if we're demons? So what if we're born from evil, tainted blood? I will never be ashamed of them. I will never wish that they hadn't been born. Not ever."

Silence reined in the room after my declaration. Just as it looked like Dragon was about to say something a different voice answered instead.

"We... feel the same, ya know?" I spun around at the sound of Sabo's weak, raspy voice. He was watching me already, eye clouded in pain but aware.

"You..." I could feel my cheeks growing hot. Just because I'd meant every word didn't mean I wanted him to _hear it._ "How long have you been awake?"

He tried to chuckle at my indignant tone but it only resulted in a fierce grimace and a weak cough. "About the time you told him you had three brothers."

I sighed, slumping until my head was pressed into the mattress, hiding my red face. "So, the whole time, then."

"Pretty much."

"Great."

"Here, boy," Dragon's quiet voice cut through our bickering and I looked up, surprised, to see him standing at Sabo's side, holding a cup of water and a straw. My eyes darted back to the empty chair behind me and then to the pitcher that sat on the desk across the room. I hadn't even heard him move!

"You're... that guy from the town..." Sabo mumbled, even as he took the straw between his lips and began to gulp it down.

"Easy, now," the Revolutionary cautioned, "or you'll make yourself sick."

Sabo complied, although reluctantly, and slowly sipped until the cup was empty. After he'd taken a few more panting breaths, my brother directed his gaze to Dragon once more. "What are you doing here? What are _we_ doing here?"

"I found you both in the wreckage of that stolen ship, after the Celestial Dragon had docked." We both shivered at the title, and at the memory, and there was no doubt that he didn't catch it. "I brought you back to my ship so that you could be healed. And, once you were, to make an offer."

"An offer?" We both asked, Sabo full of curiosity and I full of suspicion.

"Yes. To join me," Dragon spoke bluntly, not beating around the bush. "I've seen your shame, but I have also seen your resolve. Your determination to stop the atrocities the nobles preform on nothing but a whim, and your disgust at the fact that they go unpunished. Am I wrong?"

"No," Sabo mumbled, looking a little dazed.

"You would fit in nicely here, with us. You long for freedom and that's exactly what we're fighting for. To free this world from the nobles. To wrench it from the grasp of the Celestial Dragons. To end the farce known as the World Government." His eyes flickered to me, then. "Both of you."

When we both remained silent, simply staring him down in astonishment, he smiled at us in understanding. "You do not have to answer now. But you will have to soon. We have been docked in this place long enough already and we can not risk it much longer. For now, though, I will fetch Cala so that she can look you over."

"Wait!" I called just as he'd opened the door. He turned to face me immediately, expression unreadable. "I... Thank you, for saving my brother and I. Really. I won't ever forget it."

His lips quirked up slightly at my promise and then, without another word, he left the room, closing the door behind him. I let out a long breath once he'd gone and Sabo clearly noticed.

"Ana?"

"That was Dragon the Revolutionary," I answered his unasked question, continuing on even as his only visible eye widened in astonishment. "He's my father."

"Your _father_?!"

"Shh!"

"Oh, sorry," he lowered his tone immediately. "But... how do you know?"

"Gramps." I shrugged, the lie rolling off of my tongue easily. And really, there wasn't much he could say to argue that answer and so he moved on.

"What do you think about his offer?" He asked, hesitant.

"I won't accept it," I answered instantly, and I could see him frown slightly at the certainty in my voice, disappointed. "I already belong to another captain and it ain't him. But I think that you should."

"Wait, what?" Sabo demanded, thrown off guard and looking a little offended. "I can't just go alone! I can't just leave you guys!"

"That's what you were already planning to do, isn't it?" I demanded and though my tone wasn't harsh he flinched anyway.

"Yeah, but..." he swallowed thickly. "I had to, Ana, I _had_ to. Every one of those nobles knew exactly what was going on and they did _nothing_ as hundreds of people burned. They blamed it on the victims, for not being born noble! They saw nothing wrong with what they were doing because to them the residents of Grey Terminal aren't people. It's disgusting! I couldn't stay trapped there! And my father would have kept coming after me and next time he could've killed you all!"

"I know," I assured him, running my fingers through his hair once more in an effort to calm him. "I'm not mad. I know why you did it and I understand your reasoning. Luffy will understand, too. Ace might be mad for a bit but it'll only be to cover up the fact that he's glad you're alive. He'll come around."

"But," Sabo's right eye was filling with tears even as he obviously tried to fight them. "You guys are my siblings. I wanted so badly to stay with you!"

"We want that, too," I promised as I wiped his tears away with gentle fingers, even as I felt my own spill over in response to his pain. "You're our brother. Of course we want you with us. But we also want you happy. And I think... I think that staying here will make you happy."

"Really?"

"Do you honestly think I'd give you up for anything less?" I asked, attempting a smirk at him. He huffed a laugh at me before wincing, face screwing up in pain. I sobered instantly. "We'll talk about it later. You have time to think about it. Just know that whatever you decide, I'll support you one hundred percent, okay?"

Cala burst into the room before he could answer, but even as the woman began throwing out questions and checking his temperature and pupil dilation, I could see the gratitude on his face.

.

* * *

.

The next day found me standing on the deck of Dragon's ship, leaning against the railing as I watched Foosha Village come into sight. I'd assured my father that it would be safe to drop me there, mentioning Shanks having docked there for almost a year and having faced no trouble, all while glossing over the details. I could tell that he'd wanted to ask but had refrained from doing so.

Sabo stood at my side, an incredibly irate Cala stationed behind us and watching my brother like a hawk. I couldn't really blame her, having seen some of the damage last night when she'd changed his bandages. His entire body was a mural of burns and blisters. I was shocked that he could even _move_ let alone stand on the deck of a ship with salt water spraying into the air. I'd said as much but he'd waved me off, assuring me that he'd be fine. The tenseness of his back and the rigid set of his face said otherwise but I had yet to call him out on it.

Not like his reaction to my wound was much better. The look in his eye when he saw the giant, blistering burn on my back could only be described as _murderous_. He'd been fretting like the mother hen he not-so-secretly was since then, barely leaving my side. Hence why he'd stubbornly followed me onto the deck. Well, that and...

"Have you decided?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes on the windmills my village was named for, even when I saw him glance over at me. After a moment he sighed.

"I have."

"And?"

He was quiet for a moment before admitted softly, like he was confessing a mortal sin, "I want to be free."

He sounded miserable about it and the tone had me spinning around to face him, scowl firmly in place and hands on my hips. It was a stance I'd learned from Makino but coming from me it usually meant someone was about to get kicked in the shin. Sabo stepped back from me accordingly, the action practically instinct by this point.

"Are you going to regret it?" I demanded. He studied my face for a moment before his shoulders slumped.

"No," he answered, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice even as he continued to sound unhappy about it. "This world needs to change. If I can do that, if I can find freedom doing that and give it to others along the way... I couldn't ever regret that."

"Good," I nodded, letting a smile light up my face. "Then you made the right choice."

"I'm going to miss you guys. I won't be able to finish growing up with you. It's going to be a really long time before we see each other again... I'm not even saying goodbye properly to Ace and Luffy."

"We'll miss you, too, all the time," I shrugged, because we would. It was undeniable fact. "But if you stayed, even if you were happy with us, you'd regret it. Wouldn't you? That's what makes this the right choice."

He let out another sigh, rubbing at the right side of his face tiredly. "You're only eight," he complained with exasperation. "How in the hell are you so much more wise than I am?"

I snickered at him, causing him to glare at me half-heartedly. "It's a secret, sorry."

"Whatever, you brat," he'd clearly been going for annoyed but his tone was full of nothing but fondness. Before we could say anything more the ship jolted, coming to a stop, having reached the docks already.

"Liliana," Dragon called out to me from next to where the gangplank was being lowered. I took a second to memorize the way my name sounded in my father's voice before turning back to Sabo, who was drinking in the sight of me almost desperately.

"Guess this is it, then," I murmured.

"Guess it is." Neither of us moved for a moment, simply stared at each other. And then, seemingly as one, we were lunging forward and wrapping each other up into a tight embrace, the sheer force of which had us tumbling to the deck. I could hear Cala squawking behind us but payed her no mind, too intent on squeezing the life out of my brother. Even though the action had caused us both pain, this was far more important.

"You write to us, okay? I don't care if you can't tell us where you are or what you've been up to. Just let us know you're okay every once in a while, alright?" I demanded, tears running down my face unchecked.

"I will," he promised back instantly, voice thick. "Watch after Ace and Lu, okay? And... And tell them I'm sorry, that I'm so sorry I couldn't say goodbye properly."

"I will, I will. They'll understand, I know it. Ace might punch you the next time he sees you, but he won't be mad."

Sabo choked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "We'll meet again, okay? Out on the sea. We'll reach our dreams! I know that we will!"

"Of course we will!" I pulled back finally, reaching up to cup his face in my hands gently, well aware of the wound marring his left side. I looked into his lone eye, making sure he listened to what I was about to say. He stared back, unwavering even with tears threatening to fall. "You be careful, do you hear me? You be safe. Go on adventures and meet lots of interesting people. Get really strong and beat up a lot of shit-heads. And never, not for even a second, are you to give up your freedom for anything. Okay?"

He nodded rapidly, tears finally spilling free. "You have to get strong, too. To show everyone that just because you're a girl doesn't mean you can't be. And Ace has to become a famous pirate, everyone has to know his name. And Luffy... Luffy has to be King!"

"We'll make it," I told him, tone brooking no argument. "All of us. And no matter where we go or what we do, we have a bond that can never be broken!"

Before he could do anything I leaned up, pressing my lips solidly to his forehead. I could hear a sob break free from him at the action, his hands fisting tightly in my shirt in order to hold me to him. After a long moment we finally released each other and moved back, cheeks wet with tears but smiles on our faces.

"You'll always belong with us," I assured him quietly. "You're our precious brother."

"Thank you," Sabo choked out, grin nearly splitting his face and blinding with how much joy it held. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Without giving either of us a chance to fall apart into blubbering messes again, I stood and headed towards where my father looked on. He'd clearly been trying to keep his face blank but I could see the affection shining in his eyes as he met my gaze.

"Ready?" He asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I shrugged as I rubbed the tears from my face with my arm. I quirked an eyebrow when he handed me a bag, looking as if it were stuffed full to the brim with books. "What's this?"

"I can't teach you personally but that doesn't mean I can't help you and your brother to be strong," he admitted, voice soft as he tried to go unheard by the rest of his crew. I smiled at him, warmth blossoming in my chest at the gesture.

"Thanks," I took the bag from him, easily hefting the weight despite the way my shoulders screamed at the action. The smile I directed at him turned mischievous, "Dad."

He blinked, clearly caught off guard by the title, before throwing his head back and bellowing out a laugh. It was in that moment that I could see the unquestionable resemblance between him and Luffy. "You're definitely a spitfire," he told me once he'd calmed, "just like your mother."

"Mother?" I jolted at the unexpected mention. He smiled at me, not missing the longing in my tone.

"I'll tell you about her one day," he promised. "But for now, you should be getting back to your brothers, shouldn't you?"

"Hm," I agreed, beginning my decent before abruptly turning back, meeting my father's questioning gaze sternly. "Sabo's my brother, and he's one of the most important things in the world to me. I'm trusting you to take care of him, okay? He doesn't need to be coddled or anything but... Just. I'm trusting you."

"I understand," he promised, nodding solemnly. I searched his face for a moment, looking for any hint of a lie, but I couldn't find one. He was being sincere.

Nodding back, satisfied, I turned to continue down to the dock, throwing a casual " _see you_ " over my shoulder as I went. They wasted no time in setting out, lifting the gangplank barely seconds after I'd stepped off of it. They'd been in this area far too long, past the point of it being dangerous. I understood their rush.

I stood there with my bag full of books on my shoulder, ignoring the fire of my shoulders and the way my limbs still twitched in exhaustion, until the ship was out of sight. Even then, it took me awhile to get moving towards Party's Bar.

As I finally turned away from the sea, I had to admit to myself that, even though it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes, I was already missing Sabo quite terribly.

.

* * *

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 **A/N: Aaaaaand DONE! Hopefully none of you are disappointed? I'd considered for quite awhile having Sabo stay and either go with Ace or join Luffy. But it just seems like that's always what happens (not that I'm complaining because it's one of my favorite tropes). And his position in the Revolutionaries is pretty important, to both himself and to the plot.**

 **Regarding his memory, I decided against him losing it. In the manga he's alone on that boat, with no one to drag him from the water until he's rescued by the Revolutionaries. Here, Lily is there. And even if she can't save him completely all on her own, she still made a difference in how severely he was injured.**

 **Regarding their injuries, I've never personally been burned anywhere near that degree. I've done research on it but I am not a medical professional. As far as I've found, second degree burns usually blister and swell and are extremely painful while third degree burns often can't be felt, as the nerve endings have actually been destroyed. And so from left hip to just below her right armpit, she doesn't have any feeling and that's also where her heavy scarring is located (as you'll see later when I eventually get around to putting her Romance Dawn look up on my bio). The rest of her back is pretty much covered in second degree burns, which is where the large amount of pain is coming from. I don't know how clear I was able to make that in the story, hence my explaining it here. Sorry if it's really just me being redundant. Like I said, though, I have no personal experience and I am not a medical professional. So. Sorry if I'm actually completely wrong.**

 **Ace and Luffy will be back next chapter. It'll probably be emotional and full of fluff, considering the fact they've both thought Lily and Sabo were dead this entire time. So, look forward to it.**

 **In other news, this is officially the second longest chapter I've written for this fic so far. Which is pretty exciting.**

 **In other OTHER news, I have an announcement to make. Well. Two announcements, honestly.**

 **ONE: I've decided that, from now on, I will only be posting a new chapter when I have the next one after it written. That way I'm not posting one every other day anymore. I know you guys aren't complaining about the quick updates, and hopefully they'll still continue to be quick, but I just don't want to burn myself out. I really am loving writing this story and I don't want to grow tired of it. And this way I'll also hopefully always have a chapter in reserve in case I ever do hit a block or if real life takes over. Which brings me to my next announcement...**

 **TWO: I'm moving this Sunday, from Florida all the way to Ohio. It'll be the first time I've ever lived away from my family and it's pretty nerve wracking. So, I'll probably be really busy in the next few weeks, getting settled and getting a job and all that not-so-fun adult stuff. I don't plan on slowing down with this story or putting it on hiatus or anything like that. But please be understanding if the updates take a little longer for awhile. I have a lot, and when I say a lot I mean A LOT, of ideas for this fic that I'm super excited for. So, don't worry, it's not going to be abandoned or put on hold any time soon.**

 **Anyway, please favorite, follow or review to let me know what you think! And, as always, thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

It took over an hour to escape from Makino's teary-eyed clutches.

She'd heard what had happened, even this far from the city, and had instantly put two and two together. Because there were 'only four kids she knew of that could ever be fool-headed enough to attempt such a stupid stunt', as she put it, and we hadn't been by to visit in awhile. And so of course she'd thought the worst.

I assured her repeatedly that Sabo and I were both fine and told her that we'd been rescued by Dragon the Revolutionary. There'd been a strange look in her eyes when I'd said it, making me think that she knew exactly who my parents were. I didn't push it though because then I'd be here all day and that simply wasn't an option.

She'd looked about ready to tie me up when I started trying to make my escape. Once I'd explained that Ace and Luffy were unaware of my continued survival, though, she'd practically pushed me out the door, all the while demanding that I come and visit as soon as I was able.

The hike took longer than it ever had before, even knowing the jungle as well as I did. I had to stop multiple times and wait for my vision to clear and my ears to stop ringing. My shoulders and hips were a constant blaze of pain but I did my best to ignore it and push it to the back of my mind. It was bad, yes, but not debilitating just yet. And I couldn't waste more time. I'd lick my wounds when I was back in the safety of my brother's company.

I headed towards the cliff instead of the bandit's hut, knowing my brothers enough to know they wouldn't want to be anywhere near anyone else while they were grieving. It was late in the afternoon by the time I got there, panting and ready to just collapse to the ground and nap for a solid month. Ace's voice was the first thing I heard.

"How long are you gonna carry on like that?" He sounded like he was trying to be annoyed but couldn't quite work up the anger for it. "All the treasure in the forest was gone. Sabo didn't get to use it in the end so... I think I'm okay with that. No use collecting treasure if we can't even protect it."

"Ace... I..." Luffy's voice was weak and mumbled and I could hear the tremor from here that meant that he was crying. Just the sound of it had me picking up my pace despite my exhaustion. " _I failed._ "

I froze. No, that wasn't right. That wasn't what he was supposed to say here.

"I was Lily's big brother... she was supposed to be on my crew. I was supposed to protect her and I didn't even know she was in trouble! And now she's _dead_ , her and Sabo! I..." His voice broke with a sob. "What right do I have to be Pirate King if I can't even protect her?"

He was... he was doubting himself? Because of me?

 _No_. That was _not_ allowed to happen.

"Who's dead?!" I demanded as I finally broke the treeline, bag falling from my shoulder and hitting the grass with a thump. Both spun to face me, faces filled with shock. Ignoring their silent gaping I marched straight up to my idiot twin brother and flicked him right on the nose. He reeled back from me, eyes going cross-eyed for a second. "Don't give up hope so easily, dummy!"

"Lili...?" His eyes, which had dried from the surprise of my entrance, were quickly filling up with tears once more. "You're... You're alive!" And then he was jumping on me, arms and legs wrapping around my torso multiple times as we went careening back towards the ground. I did my best to hold in the yelp of pain that wanted to escape, but I must have made some kind of noise because next thing I knew Ace was pulling Luffy away from me as best as he could, all the while staring me down.

"You're hurt." It wasn't a question but as I tried to recatch my breath I nodded anyways. "Where?"

"Back," I bit out as I forced myself back up. I blinked up at him when I felt his hand on my shoulder, helping to support me. He looked like he wanted to cry himself when he was able to touch me, to feel that I was solid and real, but was stubbornly blinking back his emotions. Luffy had ended up on my other side and had my hand in a death grip, watery eyes never once leaving my face as he stared at me in delighted wonder.

"And Sabo...?" Ace looked almost afraid to ask.

"Alive," I assured them both and could see the tension practically drain out of him. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to my shoulder, hiding his face from view.

"Thank god."

"Sabo's alive, too?!" Luffy yelled out, grin spreading across his face and bouncing in place in excitement. He started whipping his head around as if he expected the blond to pop up out of nowhere any minute. "Where is he?!"

Ace shot back up at the question, eyes narrowing at me. "Yeah, where is he?"

The smile that had been on my face dimmed somewhat but didn't disappear. "He couldn't come back here."

"Why?" Ace demanded, tone sharp.

"Yeah," Luffy whined. "I want Sabo!"

"He was trying to leave when his boat was shot by the visiting Celestial Dragon. I dove in to save him." Both nodded at me, already knowing this. "I wasn't able to. We both got pinned under the water. We would've died but... the Revolutionaries saved us both."

"Revutionies? What's that?" Luffy cocked his head to the side in interest. "Is it tasty?"

Ace, for his part, just blinked at me, clearly as clueless as our brother. I sighed at them both in exasperation. "We really need to get you both caught up on current events. The Revolutionaries are a group of people that are trying to overthrow the World Government. Their leader, Dragon, is considered to be the Most Dangerous Man Alive because of it. He's the one who saved us."

"Woah!" Luffy exclaimed. "He must be super strong then!"

"Probably," I shrugged. I'd never seen him fight before but it was pretty much a given that he was. "Anyway, we were taken back to his ship to be treated. That's why I was gone so long. Sabo... well, it wasn't good. But it wasn't horrible either. He'll definitely live but it'll probably take awhile to heal."

"How bad?" Ace cut in softly. He knew I was trying to gloss over it and he was having exactly none of it. "Both of you?"

"Just my back, and a bit of soreness and exhaustion," I assured him, even though I was technically severely understating things. He'd find that out later, though, and I'd deal with it then. "Sabo was burned really badly. He almost lost his vision in his left eye but they got to us in time. He's expected to make a full recovery but he'll likely be pretty heavily scarred."

Ace and Luffy's faces both darkened at my words. "But... he'll be okay?"

"He'll be okay," I nodded to Luffy, who nodded back, trusting in my word. He knew I wouldn't lie to him. Not about something like this.

"So, is that why he didn't come back with you?" Ace asked, pulling the conversation back on point.

"Yes and no," I admitted, smiling sheepishly when he glared at me for the vague answer. "He really did need to stay for his wounds to heal more. But... Dragon offered him a place with them, as a member of the Revolutionaries. And Sabo accepted."

"He... became a Revolutionary?" Ace blinked, thrown off guard. "Not a pirate?"

"They're not just fighting against the World Government. They're also fighting so that nobles won't be able to just walk all over whoever they want and go unpunished for it. According to Sabo, none of the nobles in High Town cared that Grey Terminal was burning even though they all knew about the plan. It was because the Celestial Dragon was coming and they wanted to impress him by getting rid of the _trash_."

"Celestial Dragon," Ace cut in, ignoring my bitter tone for the moment. His eyes had narrowed dangerously at the title. "You said that before. Said that was who shot at Sabo's boat. Who the fuck are they?"

"The most powerful people in the world, supposedly."

"They're really strong?" Luffy asked, brow scrunched up. I shook my head.

"Not physically. They probably wouldn't be able to beat anyone in a fight. But they have influence. The three marine admirals are pretty much at their beck and call. Actually, the entire _navy_ is pretty much at their beck and call. They can do anything they want and won't get punished for it. They openly own slaves and could even kill someone in the street on a whim and it'd be fine, just because they're descendants of the kings who originally established the World Government or something."

"Oh. So, they're bad guys," Luffy decided, nodding as if he'd just solved a great mystery.

"You... you've gotta be kidding. People like that actually exist?"

I nodded at Ace's disbelieving tone. "It's hard to imagine, but yeah. Think of the nobles in High Town but, like, a million times worse. Comparing the two is like comparing... Bluejam to Whitebeard. They're on a completely different level even if they're technically both pirates. The same applies here, with the level of arrogance and the assurance that they can get away with whatever they want. And the sad part is that they're right."

"And Sabo... wants to fight against them?" Ace asked, struggling to understand.

"Well... he said that he's ashamed of his blood." I watched as my older brother grimaced, clearly recognizing those words as ones he'd said before. "This is his way of making up for that, I think. He's fighting for freedom, in his own way. Freedom from nobles, for both himself and for the world."

"So, he's happy," Luffy interjected, grin on his face. "That's okay then. He's still free and chasing his dream."

I smiled softly at his simplicity. There was no need to make things complicated. If Sabo was happy then that was all that mattered to Luffy, just as it mattered to me. And I could see, though Ace continued to frown, that it was all that mattered to him as well. He blinked gray eyes up at me, suddenly intense as he scanned my face. I stared back, patient, waiting for him to say what he wanted. Finally, he let out a long sigh and whatever tension remained drained out of him.

"You're alive," he breathed, bringing a hand up to brush my hair away from my eyes. A smile began tugging at his lips, growing bigger and brighter as the thought finally sank in. "You and Sabo both. You're alive."

And then he was folding me into a warm embrace, far more gentle than I ever thought he could be. Luffy, not one to be left out, quickly wrapped himself around the both of us, though he didn't use anywhere near the force he'd used before, remembering that I'd said I was hurt. I couldn't help but grin at the both of them, even as I hid it in the crease between Ace's neck and shoulder. As I gripped both back as tightly as my trembling arms could manage I felt warm affection bubble up inside of me and was helpless against the love I held for these two idiots.

"We're all alive," I whispered, and none of us moved from that spot for a long, long time.

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* * *

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"You said it _wasn't bad_!" Ace snarled from where he stood behind me, dark gaze fixed firmly to the giant, blistering wound that covered almost the entirety of my back. I winced at the tone and full-on grimaced when I caught the disapproving look Luffy was sending my way.

After finally leaving the cliff side, spurred on by the setting of the sun, we'd all headed straight for our tree house. Ace had refused to let me walk, carrying me piggyback instead, and as we made our way through the forest he'd told me in soft tones how they hadn't been back to it since finding out the news, unable to stomach returning while knowing that we were dead. My arms had tightened around him when his voice had caught on the words but he recovered quickly, turning the conversation instead towards the wound that I'd yet to describe.

As soon as we'd climbed up and closed the hatch behind us, Ace was lighting our lantern and demanding to see the damage. Knowing that there really was no point in hiding it any longer, I'd turned my back to them and slipped the shirt over my head. I'd heard them both suck in a breath at the sight of the bandage covering me, but they'd both looked away as I'd unraveled it. Once that was done, I'd hugged my shirt to my chest and waited for their anger.

It really hadn't taken long.

"This... this is bad, Ana, this is not okay! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Calm down, Ace, it's fine."

" _This is not fine,_ you idiot!"

I sighed. I couldn't blame him for being so upset. This was probably the worst wound any of us had ever had, even compared to what Porchemy had done to Luffy and I. I hadn't been able to see it just yet, not having access to a large enough mirror, but it probably didn't look all that pretty.

"Lily." I blinked, turning towards Luffy who was staring me down. His face was solemn and serious. It almost sounded like he was reprimanding me. "You shouldn't lie about how bad you're hurt. Not ever. If you do then we won't be able to help you properly."

Any other time I might have been surprised at his rationality, not to mention his vocabulary. As it was, I understood. It wasn't that Luffy didn't know stuff. He wasn't as stupid and simple minded as everyone seemed to think. It was simply that he found no point in wasting the energy remembering boring words and facts when he could instead use it for training and adventuring and, most importantly, eating. But that didn't mean he couldn't when it was important.

"Sorry," I sighed, lowering my head in shame. "It's not that I was trying to _hide_ it, not really. I just... didn't want you guys to worry. You were so happy to see me. I didn't want to ruin that."

"Idiot," Ace grumbled, knocking his fist lightly against the back of my head. "Nothing would've ruined that."

I threw him a smile over my shoulder before the light brush of fingers against my scabbing skin had me flinching away.

"Sorry!" Luffy withdrew his hand instantly, looking more and more upset. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Not... as much," I admitted, trying my best to be honest with them. "My shoulders and hips do. But... most of it is numb. It's a third degree burn, meaning that most of my nerve endings there were destroyed. I don't feel it at all."

"That's the exact opposite of fine," Ace bit out.

"But she's not in pain," Luffy cocked his head to the side. "That's good, right?"

"It's not just that I'm not in pain, Lu," I explained softly. "I'll never have feeling in that spot again, even after I heal. And that's if there's no complications. There's still the risk of infection which could be fatal."

"Fatal?"

"Could kill me."

" _Kill_?!" Luffy was suddenly right in my face, eyes intense. "Not allowed! That's not allowed! How do we stop this inflection thing?"

"Infection, idiot," Ace muttered, shoving his hand into Luffy's face and pushing him away roughly. He fell backwards with a squawk before hopping back up to his feet. "And we need medicine and clean bandages. There's a lot at Dadan's right now, since they've been treating her burns, too. We'll head there first thing in the morning. For now plain old ointment and bandages will have to do, because that's all we have."

"That should be fine," I promised, though I wasn't really sure. Just because I knew some things didn't mean I was an expert by any means.

"Do you...? That is, should I...?" I turned around and was greeted with the sight of Ace staring hard at the floor, face turning a bright red and almost looking... _bashful_.

"Ace?" I asked, confused.

"Shishishi, you're turning red like you do when we go see Makino!"

"Shut up!" Ace snapped, punching our brother away from where he'd been poking the older boy in the cheek. The flush only grew darker, though. "It's just... you're..." He gestured to me vaguely and I raised an eyebrow at him even as I looked down to see what he was talking about. But there was just me, holding my shirt to my chest still and -

"Oh," I finally mumbled, blush lighting up my own face. I was naked from the waist up. It hadn't been an issue when Cala was the one bandaging me up because she was a woman, and she'd put a divider up between Sabo and I when she did it. But now she wasn't here. Depending on how healed Dadan was I might be able to ask for her help instead but that wouldn't be until tomorrow and someone had to do it tonight. I could try by myself but... I doubted I'd be able to reach that far. And pulling at the blisters on my shoulders even more than I already had today wouldn't be a good idea.

"It's..." I took a deep breath, forcing down the anxiety and embarrassment swirling in my stomach. "It's fine. You're my brothers and I trust you. More than anyone in the world. So. It's okay."

It was true, too. I did trust them with this, despite how awkward it was bound to be. Ace's face softened at my words before hardening in determination.

"Right. We'll go quickly and... I promise I won't look anywhere I don't have to." I nodded at him, trusting in him to keep his word, and shifted so that my back was to him once more. After a few moment I felt the pressure of his fingers against my skin. "Does that hurt?"

I shook my head. "There's no feeling there, remember? Still, be careful, though, okay?"

"Of course."

The room descended into silence, the only sound that of Ace's fingers as they smeared ointment over my skin. Luffy had reclaimed his spot by my side, fingers intertwined with mine tightly as he gazed at me, the wonder still clear on his face. I let the comfortable quiet continue for a few more minutes before I could no longer hold my tongue.

"You can't give up like that again." When Luffy simply cocked his head at me in question I sighed. "I heard you, before I got to the cliff. You had given up because you thought I was dead. You can't do that again. Even if I really do die."

His eyes darkened at the reminder. "If I can't even protect you then I don't deserve -"

"What if you died?" I interrupted, needing him to understand. I could feel Ace falter behind me at just the thought and even I had to swallow the sudden lump in my throat before I could continue. "What if you died and I gave up? On everything? On getting stronger, on carrying on, on trying to achieve my dream? Because you're my Captain, not just my brother. It's my job to protect you, too. So, what if I failed? Would it be acceptable for me to give up?"

"No!" Luffy denied vehemently. "Not ever!"

"Then you can't, either," my tone brooked no argument. I could see the confliction in his eyes and softened my tone. "I couldn't stand the thought of being the reason you give up on your dream, Lu. I couldn't handle that. So, you can't, okay? Even if I die. Promise me."

"...I promise," he finally mumbled, head lowering so that his hat was shadowing his face. I reached up with our still connected hands in order to tilt his chin up, forcing him to meet my eyes.

"I promise, too, okay? It won't be easy. Losing each other would probably damn near kill us both, and it's okay for it to hurt. But we have to continue on. For each other. Okay?" This time his nod was stronger.

"Right."

I smiled at him before flicking my gaze back to our oldest brother. "Ace?"

The older boy jumped at being so suddenly addressed, eyes jumping up to meet mine. "Yeah?"

"Same goes for you, okay?" I asked gently. "If we... If we die, you have to keep living on, okay?"

"I..." He swallowed roughly and averted his gaze. "Right. Yeah."

"Ace..." I could tell he wasn't actually agreeing. I could also tell that I'd probably never be able to get him to. I sighed. "Well, I guess we'll all just have to not die, huh?"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed instantly. "Nobody is allowed to die. Ever! It's rule number one!"

"Rule number one, eh?" Ace's lips quirked up into a shadow of his usual cocky smirk. "I think I can live with that."

I couldn't help but snort unattractively at the pun and by the way his smile grew, that was exactly what Ace had intended. I was definitely becoming a bad influence on them if they were already using puns on me. "Then it's agreed. No dying."

"No dying!"

"I'm never gonna die!" Ace's tone was haughty as he spoke the words and it took everything in me not to let my smile wither away at hearing them. I mentally shook myself, though, because it was fine. If I had any say about it, which I _did_ , then I would make sure those words remained true. I wouldn't let him die. I wouldn't let him break that promise.

If Akainu or Blackbeard got anywhere near him I'd kill them myself, consequences be damned.

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* * *

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We woke up the next morning in our usual puppy pile. Luffy was to my right, arms wrapped around my waist _three times_ and knee thrown over my hip, pinning me down. Ace wasn't much better, one arm under my head while the other was stretched across my chest, coming to rest against Luffy's face. His legs were tangled with mine and I honestly couldn't tell whose was whose.

My hips and shoulders were on fire - _again_ \- but I still didn't wake them up, content to simply lay there and soak up their presence all the while pushing the pain from my mind. I was getting better and better at ignoring it. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

After only about twenty peaceful minutes, Luffy began squirming about and mumbling about food. It wasn't long before he was snapping awake with as much of a flail as he could manage from his position.

"Breakfast time!" He yelled right into my ear, making me wince. Ace grumbled, long used to this type of wake-up call, and tried to hide his face in my hair.

"Too early," he mumbled, already sounding half asleep again. Luffy was having none of it, though, already unwinding his arms from around me - slowly, which was appreciated - and jumping to land right on top of our older brother with a _thud_. Ace yelped, having not seen it coming, while I snorted at the sight of his wild bedhead, sure that mine probably wasn't much better.

"Food! Ace! Food! Ace! FOOD!"

"I GET IT!" Shoving Luffy off of him with enough force to send the younger boy barreling into the wall, Ace climbed to his feet before stomping to the hatch without another word, grabbing his pipe as he went. He sent us one last glare before disappearing down the ladder to the ground below.

"Yay! Food!" Luffy cheered before hurrying after him.

I chuckled at their antics before sighing, finding myself alone in the sudden silence of our tree house and knowing I wasn't up to hunting with them. I'd only be a liability if I tried. My eyes slowly scanned the room, thinking of ways I could occupy myself until they came back, when they alighted on the bag Dragon had given me the day before. I immediately made my way to it, intrigued, having not had the time to go through it just yet. Unbuckling the latch, I swiftly dumped the contents onto the floor.

Out tumbled four books and two scrolls. I began shifting through them one by one, growing more and more excited with each title that I read. The two scrolls were based on fighting techniques, showing graphs and pictures of stances and katas. It would be interesting to try out. But even _I_ knew that without a teacher it was bound to be extremely difficult and would likely be impossible to master. Maybe I could ask Gramps to help a bit? I shuddered with the thought as I set those aside to peruse later. Next was a large tome of world history. I was slightly surprised it had been included given that it was definitely written with endorsement from the World Government, but biased or not it was still likely to be pretty informative, so long as I remembered to take everything with a grain of salt. _History is written by the victors_ , and all that.

After that was what could only be considered a Dictionary of Devil Fruits. It had every single one that was currently known pictured - some drawn while others were photographed - followed by it's name and a description of abilities granted to the eater. The book was extremely large, which shocked me a bit. I knew that the Fruits were only really seen as myths in the Blues. On the Grand Line they were extremely common, in the New World more so. But even knowing that I hadn't expected there to be quite so many. It was almost unfathomable.

Second to last in the pile was a Guide to Navigation which I knew would come in handy, at least until we picked up Nami. I knew the very basics but that was for traveling on land, not by sea. I would likely never be an expert but if I could learn enough to at least ensure we survived? I'd definitely do it. And besides that, it was intriguing anyways, especially when I saw a few chapters dedicated to Grand Line Navigation. I flipped to those chapters and scanned through them quickly, noting that despite how much was said it barely boiled down to ' _have a log pose and be prepared for nothing to make sense_ '. Whatever. It would still be useful and I knew our future navigator especially would appreciate it.

Setting that aside for now I reached for the last in the pile. My breath caught as I read the cover and saw just what it was that lay before me.

 _Haki_.

It made sense. The further you got in the Grand Line, the more important it was that you at least had an understanding of what it was. And once you reached the New World it was imperative to have at least a few crew members that could wield it. Dragon would've known that, would've at the very least guessed that we'd be heading there one day. And so it made sense that he'd give me this, wanting us to be as prepared as we could be.

I knew the basics of haki, at least as much as any fan of the manga would, but I didn't know _everything._ This book, though, went into great detail about it. About the types and how they could be used. How they could be learned and who they'd be best suited for. It talked more about Armament and Observation, mostly just glossing over Conqueror's, which was understandable. It was pretty rare for someone to have the King's Disposition, no matter how many they'd shown with it in the manga.

My excitement dimmed a bit when I realized how unlikely it would be that my brothers and I would be able to learn it any time soon, though.

See, haki was about will power but it wasn't _all_ about will power. It was also about mental and physical fortitude. Observation took a lot of mental focus and concentration. As for Armament, it was half mental and half physical and in order for it to work your mind and body had to be in perfect sync. And while this wasn't impossible for younger people, per say, it would definitely be extremely difficult to even learn.

It would also more than likely be a pretty big waste of time right now. At the age we were all at, our bodies and minds were still changing rapidly. Any balance we managed to gain wouldn't last very long. Until we were older, when the changes began to slow down, it would do us little good to learn it.

As for Conqueror's Haki, well. Ace had already awakened his, though unknowingly. It'd be quite some time before Luffy did the same but he would eventually. I had no idea if I had it as well, though I doubted it. What were the chances of _three_ people in East Blue having it? All of whom grew up together no less? No. It was a big enough coincidence that both Lu and Ace had it. I wasn't going to hold my breath for awakening it as well.

Still, though. Whether we could use it or not, it was a great boon just knowing about it. And as we got older, we'd be able to train with it instead of waiting around for them to awaken on their own. We could train the crew in it, too. We could get stronger, faster, and maybe we wouldn't all have to go through as much pain as they had before? Maybe it could be different.

But how different? Was it smart to change things to such an extent? Having even a weak grasp of haki when entering the first half of the Grand Line, especially coming in from the weakest of the Blues, would be enough to raise quite a few eyebrows. Would it really be safe to do that?

Was it acceptable for me to be the one making that decision? What gave me the right, anyway? I might have more knowledge but that didn't give me the right to basically act like a god and dictate the lives around me. If things had gone on like they had before, it might have been okay for me not to mention it, to let things carry on like they had and wait for Luffy to discover his haki on his own. But now I was holding what basically amounted to a How To Guide. What was I going to do? Hide it, bury it in the woods and try to forget all about it? Throw away this advantage just to ensure that things didn't change beyond my ability to predict?

No. I didn't get to make that decision. If anyone got to, it would be my Captain.

Just as the thought passed through my head I heard excited whoops and yelling coming from down below and approaching quickly. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, just as the hatch flew open and Luffy's grinning face popped into view.

"We got tiger, Lili! Come on, let's eat!"

"Hey, Lu, I got something really cool from that Revolutionary yesterday..."

It wouldn't be much of an adventure if it was so easy to predict, anyway.

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* * *

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 **A/N: And here we are! Posted before my move, so that if I can't update for a few days, you'll at least have this. And I figured my day is likely to be pretty packed tomorrow so safer to just post it tonight. I already have the next chapter and part of the 12th written, though, so updating it shouldn't be a problem unless life gets _really_ hectic. **

**Not as much fluff as I'd been expecting but still quite a bit. I just love the thought of them in puppy piles, I can't help it. The image is just too adorable to pass up on.**

 **So, regarding the haki: no, they will not become super powerhouse masters before even leaving the East Blue. That'd be boring. I _will_ have them learning it, though, eventually. And I do plan on having Luffy be a bit stronger than he was in canon, though not to unbelievable levels. Hopefully this isn't a problem for you guys. And if it is, then... uh. Sorry? **

**The next few chapters will probably be mostly filler, which I'm honestly excited about. There will be bits of the time lapse that was shown in the manga but it really just glossed over the years before Ace and then Luffy left Dawn Island. And while I'm not planning on dragging it out to a ridiculous length I am going to cover it. And besides, I really want to write some original stuff instead of just what's in the manga. I promise to try to keep it to only a few chapters though, as I know you guys are excited to get canon started. I know I definitely am.**

 **I'm super excited for what I have planned! I can't wait for you guys to see it.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and please favorite, follow or review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

"King's Disposition, huh?"

The words were said with a kind of resigned bitterness. I glanced up from the tiger meat I'd been about to tear into only to find Ace staring blankly into the cooking fire, looking as if his mind were a million miles away. It was obvious he was thinking about his father, the late Pirate King. I debated on my next words before mentally shrugging and just going for it.

"It's not named for any one person," I told him, keeping my voice calm and neutral even when he glanced at me sharply. "It's because the ability has so much power. I mean, you'd just awoken it and you were able to knock out multiple grown men instantly. A master could probably do the same to hundreds with strong wills, thousands if they're weak. Having this power can make someone a conqueror. It can make someone a _King_."

"Is it really that powerful?" He asked skeptically, though some of the tension had left his shoulders.

"Mm," I hummed. "At least, that's what the book says." And what I saw for myself in my past life.

"Woah, so Ace is really strong, huh?" Luffy bounced about excitedly, food spraying from his mouth. I grimaced at him, disgusted, while Ace glared indignantly.

"I was already strong, stupid!"

"Well, yeah, but now you're really _really_ strong!"

"Stop talking with your mouth full," I commanded, the tone of my voice causing him to gulp his food down immediately. "And he can't use it, anyway. Not yet, at least. He'd have to train first to even learn how to access it. And to do that without someone around who actually _can_ use it would probably be a bad idea."

They both tilted their heads questioningly. "Why would I have to wait to train it?"

"Yeah, we don't need grown ups for our other training."

"Think about it," I sighed at them. "Conqueror's Haki basically overpowers the will of other people and things, meaning that if you use it accidentally or without knowing how to control the output you could affect people you don't mean to. Like Luffy and I."

Ace blanched, turning pale at just the thought.

Luffy pouted, looking even more confused than he had before. "But that didn't happen last time. Last time it was all ' _rawr, don't touch Luffy!_ ' and then _fwoosh_ and then _BAM_ they were all asleep!"

Ignoring his grand reenactment of events, I shook my head at him. "That was a relatively weak burst, I'm thinking, because he'd just awoken it. And you and I probably have pretty strong wills, if our inherent stubbornness is any indication. But that doesn't mean his might not be stronger. And the bursts from now on are likely to be much more powerful, especially if he's trying to do it on purpose."

"So, it's a mystery," Luffy decided, content to leave it at that as he dove back into his meal. I rolled my eyes at him but left him to it. I knew he probably got the jist of it, at least, but I'd likely lost him with my vocabulary choices. Instead, I turned back to Ace, knowing he was the one I really had to make understand, and I found him frowning at me thoughtfully.

"So," he finally began, "I have to wait until I find a teacher to use this Conqueror's Haki thing?"

"Yeah, either that or practice it away from everyone so that it hopefully won't affect them. You can maybe ask Gramps the next time he comes to visit."

" _Gramps?!_ " They both yelled, Luffy even going so far as to spit his food out in shock before staring at me with wide eyes. I couldn't really blame them. A shiver had gone up my own spine just from suggesting it.

"Well, yeah," I said, trying to sound confident despite the obvious tremble of fear in my voice. "I'm pretty sure he uses Armament Haki in his Fist of Love and that's why it can actually hurt Luffy. He might not have the King's Disposition but he might be able to give you some tips, maybe."

"That cheater!" Luffy had hopped up to his feet, scowl firmly in place. "He's a rotten cheater! He's been using a mystery power! That's not fair!"

"Well, it's not fair that you have a Devil Fruit," I reminded him. "Technically."

He pouted at me before plopping back down, huffy and grumbling. "Fine."

"You really think I should ask him?" Try as he might, Ace couldn't keep the nervousness out of his tone. I nodded at him, watching as the apprehension turned to resigned dread on his face with sympathy.

"I plan on asking him about it, too," I admitted, feeling myself pale at just the thought. "It's important that we get as much info about it as we can, even if we won't be able to use it for awhile."

"You know that means we won't be able to run, right?" Ace demanded. "We won't be able to hide from him once he's seen us."

I sighed at him, forlorn. "I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have been able to hide anyway. Either he's been using Observation Haki this whole time or he's just really _really_ good at hide and seek. Either way, it's pretty unlikely that he wouldn't have been able to track us down. Maybe if we go to him and ask for help, though, he'll be so happy he'll go easy on us?"

Even Luffy was staring at me in disbelief over the suggestion.

Yeah, no matter how we went about it, that conversation was definitely gonna hurt.

.

* * *

.

The months went by pretty quickly.

The second degree burns on my back had healed within two weeks, leaving behind nothing but rough, dry skin. The third degree would take quite a bit longer, though it seemed to be healing at an extremely fast rate according to Dadan, who only shook her head and muttered something about ' _monster genes_ ' before sending me on my way.

Healing or not, though, training and hunting were out of the question for me, at least for the time being. Complications and infection were still a thing to be wary of, despite the lack of pain I was feeling, and so I still had to try to be careful. Instead I spent my time reading, soaking up the information we'd been gifted with like a sponge. Each night at dinner I'd reveal the interesting things that I'd learned, wanting to pass the knowledge onto my brothers as well.

Luffy tried to pay attention, he really did, but unless it was something _really_ cool, he usually lost interest fairly quickly. If he had any interest at all, which he definitely didn't when it came to navigation because, and I quote, "that's what I have you for". As irritating as it was, I let it go. He had a point. I just hoped that the day never came when he had no one to rely on but himself for it because then he'd definitely be screwed.

Ace was better at listening and seemed interested as well, if not to the degree that I was. He was smart enough to know that it was important and that when he left he wouldn't have me around to do it for him. He revealed that he'd always planned on Sabo being his navigator, his voice fond but somewhat sad. He'd quickly devolved into a red-faced sputtering mess when I'd been forced to hug him at the admission.

When I wasn't reading I was working on my breathing exercises, wanting to bring the time I could hold my breath up to at least five minutes. Either that or I was trying to help Luffy land at least one hit on our older brother.

It was after weeks of watching them go at it a hundred times a day with the same exact result that the revelation finally hit me and I felt like smacking myself in the face for not having thought of it sooner.

It was while we were eating dinner, a giant buffalo this time, and Luffy was devouring his share at the usual blinding pace. He was also snatching food off of our plates with unerring accuracy despite how hard Ace and I were both trying to fend him off. I froze as it finally clicked, resulting in my share being completely wiped clean within seconds. But I didn't even care, too focused on watching as he aimed a rubbery limb towards Ace's pile and _actually grabbed what he'd been aiming for._

"Luffy," I finally called out slowly, sounding distant even to myself. The tone had both of my brothers turning to me at once, even as Luffy continued reaching and Ace continued trying to stab him with the stick he'd used to roast his meat. "How are you doing that?"

"Dwhng whnt?"

" _Don't talk with your mouth full._ "

An audible gulp. "Doing what?"

"You're stretching your arms out to get our food... and you're succeeding."

Ace blinked at me before spinning to face our brother, watching in disbelief as Luffy demonstrated just what I'd been saying by snatching his now unguarded food from him.

"You..." His tone was just as disbelieving as his stare. He took a piece of shredded thigh and tossed it upwards above our heads. Luffy's rubbery arm stretched for it instantly, like he didn't even have to think about it, before it disappeared into his black hole of a stomach along with everything else. "You can't hit me or even a _giant_ _rock_ to save your life but you can grab small pieces of food straight from the air without even looking?"

"It's meat," Luffy shrugged, tone implying that this should be obvious. And really, it should've been. This was _Luffy_ , after all.

"Okay. Okay, this I can work with," I decided, feeling a grin spread across my face as ideas came pouring into my head. "This I can use. We're gonna need a lot of meat, so make sure you guys hunt a lot tomorrow, okay? We'll have you hitting bullseyes in no time, Lu!"

.

* * *

.

One day, my brother's didn't come home from their hunt.

I tried ignoring the nervous energy roiling around in my gut as the hours ticked by and the sun slowly disappeared below the trees. My brothers were strong. I mean, sure, they'd been in a bit of a competitive streak ever since Luffy managed to punch Ace during training and then began to proclaim he no longer needed help because he could do everything on his own now. It was extremely childish of him, true, but he'd just been excited. An excitement that only seemed to grow the more Ace got annoyed.

They'd run into the forest that night, both calling back to me that _they'd_ be the one to catch something cool and then immediately yelling at the other for copying them. That had been the last I'd seen or heard of them and it was now probably nearing midnight.

The tree house felt much too big all of a sudden. Big and empty and cold.

Cursing under my breath and calling my brothers every manner of insult I could think of I shoved the hatch open and made my way to the jungle floor. It was stupid, I knew. If I was attacked by something I wouldn't be able to defend myself properly. But all I could think of was the chance that they were injured somewhere, cut down by whatever beast they'd decided to take on. They could be anywhere in this forest, right now, bleeding out on the ground. They could be _dead_.

Mind made up and no amount of rationality able to stop me, I made my way through the trees and farther up the mountain. The smartest course of action would be to head to Dadan's first so that I could recruit as much help as possible. There was no way I was hiking the entirety of this mountain alone.

In my panicked rush, the walk was a relatively short one, though I was still pretty winded by the time the giant hut came into view. The lights were all lit inside, despite the late hour, but I couldn't hear any of the usual sounds of a party. Now thoroughly confused, a feeling of intense dread inexplicably welling up inside of me, I made my way to the door.

I didn't bother to knock. It was obvious they were all awake and it wasn't like the door was locked anyway. I was greeted by the buzz of frantic voices and, above it all, the sound of despair filled sobs.

The minute I made it to the main room I froze, unable to process anything but the _blood_.

Luffy was covered in it, and even as I stared more was welling up. It looked like his chest had been ripped open by large claws, leaving nothing but jagged slices behind. Magra was there, applying pressure while others rushed to collect bandages and other supplies. Luffy himself was unconscious, head lolling about on his limp neck even as his brow was furrowed in obvious pain, breaths escaping in short pants.

It took a lot to tear my gaze away from the image, one I was sure would be burned into me for the rest of my life. But the sounds of sobbing had only grown louder and more hysterical and a part of my mind was trying to fight through the shock to tell me that I _knew_ that voice.

I found Ace sitting out of the way, huddled against the wall as tightly as was possible. He was holding his head in his hands, gripping his hair near desperately as his body shuddered, sob after sob tearing out of him with no control.

"Ace...?" I breathed. I didn't know how to handle this situation. For all the knowledge I had, from my past life and this one, my mind was drawing a complete blank.

The effect of my voice was immediate, all motion halting as my presence was registered. Ace had flinched, tensing enough that it looked painful, burying his face into his arms like it would hide him from my view. After a few seconds of nothing but silence the bandits turned away again, focusing on my brother once more. I wanted to help, to be the one to patch those awful wounds up, _something._ But I knew that, as I was, I would only get in the way. I would be of no help to Luffy, not right now.

So I focused on my other brother instead, deciding to put my faith in the bandits just this once. Even though doing so felt like a betrayal, like a failure. But Ace was crying, _my big brother was crying_ , and I couldn't just do nothing. This, at least, I could help. Hopefully.

"Ace?" I repeated, my voice growing stronger now that I wasn't so lost in a daze. The boy in question flinched again before slowly raising his head and meeting my eyes. I couldn't help but gasp at what I saw there.

His gaze was filled with so much desperation, remorse and panic but, above all else, was hatred. _Self_ -hatred and guilt and a million other things I couldn't even identify, but none of them were good. I found myself stumbling forward and falling to my knees before him, reaching for him instantly.

I wasn't expecting him to pull away from me.

"Ace." I knew I looked as hurt as I felt from the rejection, if the way his eyes only darkened further were any indication.

"I'm sorry," his voice was thick with pleading. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. It's all my fault. It's all my fault that he got hurt. I'm supposed to protect him and I let him... I let him get hurt! I just _sat there_ and _watched_! He was torn apart and I did _nothing_! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" I cut in, the complete anguish in his voice making me feel as if I'd just gotten punched through the chest. "It's not your fault, do you understand me? It's not!"

" _It is_!" Ace snarled, grip tightening to the point it looked like he was about to begin ripping his hair out. "You weren't there, you don't know!"

"I wasn't," I agreed, and that was something I would definitely be regretting until the day I died. "I wasn't there and I don't know what happened. But I do know _you,_ Ace. And I know that you never would've just let this happen. You might have made a mistake. But you wouldn't have done something like this on purpose. Or did you toss Luffy to whatever beast did this with the intention of him dying?"

"Of course not!" He looked like the very idea sickened him. I grabbed his face gently, wiping absently at his tear tracks with my thumbs as I dragged his head down until his forehead rested against mine.

"Then it's not your fault," I told him quietly, voice as sincere as I could make it. "And I don't blame you."

He released a breath, tension draining from him and practically going limp. More and more tears slipped free as he continued to take in ragged breaths. Finally, he met my eyes and I was gratified to see his own filled with determination. "I'll be better. I'll get better. And this will never happen again. I won't let it."

"I believe you."

And together, we waited.

.

* * *

.

Slowly, we healed.

Within a week, Luffy was up and bouncing around and I wasn't far behind him. Because of the faster regenerative properties granted from eating a Devil Fruit, not to mention whatever the hell was up with our genes, Luffy's healing rate was extremely fast. Especially if he consumed a ton of meat. While mine was much slower it was still far above normal and Dadan had finally, _finally_ given the okay to begin training again.

Ace was healing in a different way, still trying to come to grips with what had happened. After he'd calmed enough to explain it, he'd revealed in hushed tones how they'd been hunting and had stumbled upon a large bear. Luffy had yelled for help but Ace had mocked him, throwing his earlier accusations of being able to do everything on his own back in his face. Next thing he knew, Luffy had been on the forest floor unmoving and there had just been _so much blood._ He didn't remember what happened after that much, just knew he'd had to get somewhere safe so that Lu could be taken care of.

He'd kept his eyes averted the entire time he'd talked, head bowed in shame. Almost like he'd expected me to scorn or hate him for his part in my twin brother's injury. And I had been upset that it had happened for such a stupid reason. But I'd taken a deep breath, feeling the anger drain out of me at the look of utter desolation that adorned my older brother's face. And then I'd hugged him tightly, holding him even as he started to tremble with emotion once more.

"Never again," I ordered sternly, feeling him nod rigorously into my shoulder in agreement.

Once Luffy had woken up, he'd been groggy but he'd been his old smiling self, not a hint of resentment present. When Ace had hesitantly brought it up, apologizing profusely, he'd pretty much just shrugged it off, claiming it had been partly his own fault. He'd assured our big brother that he wasn't mad, not at all, and besides Ace had said sorry so it was fine, can he have some meat now please?

Ace's eyes held a different darkness to them than when we'd first met him, now. It wasn't the darkness of hatred anymore. Instead they were filled with the kind of protective determination I'd never seen in anyone before. And he definitely took his job as our big brother seriously now in a way he never had before.

Like now, for instance.

"How to make a proper greeting?" Makino asked in surprise, pausing in wiping down the bar top so that she could look at Ace questioningly.

"Well, yeah, I am their big brother, after all." Ace avoided her gaze, cheeks going pink as he stared at the countertop instead. "One day I'll have to go and thank Red Haired for all he did for them, you know? And I don't wanna be rude."

"I see," she said with a smile that matched my own.

Ace glanced up at us and, seeing our matching, fond expressions demanded, "What are those faces for?!"

"Nothing, nothing!" I assured quickly. "I just think it's a good idea is all. Lu should learn, too."

"Eeeeh? Why do I have to?!"

"You're gonna be a captain one day, dummy," I explained, ignoring his whining tone. "Which means you'll be responsible for your crew and their actions. You might have to apologize on their behalf one day, or thank someone or even ask for a favor for them. It's an important skill to have."

He continued to pout and grumble but went along with it anyway, as I knew he would. For as childish as he sometimes acted he definitely took his responsibilities as a future captain seriously.

"Well, let's start with how to properly express gratitude, since that's what you're most concerned about," Makino decided as she leaned forward, cleaning all but forgotten for the time being.

"Yeah, let's start the lesson already!"

"Oh, you got it, Ace!"

I sighed at them both, not knowing why I had expected anything differently.

"No, that's wrong!" Makino laughed, crossing her fingers in an x and making a _bzzt_ sound. "You have to first say thank you."

"Oh. So, Ace didn't get it."

"Like this," I told them before turning to Makino and bowing my head slightly. "Thank you for the lesson."

"You're very welcome, Lily," she smiled back at me. Ace and Luffy both turned and copied my actions. "Now, when you want to express gratitude, you also want to bow. How low depends on how thankful you are or the amount of respect the person you're addressing deserves."

"How do you know?" Ace asked, head cocked to the side.

"It's like just now," I tried to explain. "You're grateful for the lesson and so you dipped your head. If someone helps you greatly, you might bow at a forty-five degree angle. If someone saves or spares your life or the life of someone you care about and you wish to thank them, you'd bow at the waist or even on your knees, depending."

"That's exactly right!" Makino cheered, causing me to flush at the praise.

"That's a lot of rules," Luffy pouted, already looking like his brain was frying.

"You might also bow when asking for an extreme favor," Makino continued, reaching over to pat my brother on the head consolingly.

Ace frowned. "Why would I bow _before_ asking for something?"

"Like say a crew member needed help but the person you were asking didn't want to provide it. What's more important? Your pride or your crewmate?"

"Crewmate." Both of my brothers answered at once. I couldn't help but grin at them in pride.

"Exactly. So, bowing your head for a favor on their behalf isn't too far out of the realm of possibility."

"I see..."

The lesson continued in much the same manner. Ace would try his hand at it, Luffy would cheer him on, and then we'd shoot them both down and explain exactly why they were wrong. It didn't take long for Luffy to begin losing interest regardless of how important it was. It was at that point that I decided to test out a theory and asked Makino to get a bunch of meat prepared. For every right answer Lu got he was rewarded with a piece. If he answered wrong, he got nothing. It had worked while training his aim and so I figured why not?

And work it did. In fact, he almost seemed to be doing better than Ace, desperate as he was for food, especially after Makino started rewarding Ace for right answers as well. It soon devolved into a competition, though I could tell our big brother was purposely getting some wrong just so Luffy could answer instead. He really was turning into a giant softy.

By the time we left Party's Bar, stomach's full and wearing brand new clothes, Ace and Luffy were both able to greet, thank and bid farewell with passable manners. It wasn't enough to fit in with a group of nobles, maybe, but it was definitely enough to get by on. I couldn't help but be extremely proud of their hard work.

Our other training began to pick up as well. Now that we were both able to fight, Ace was determined to make sure we all got stronger. Especially me, since I'd lost a lot of my progress in the months of forced inaction.

It was hard getting back up to snuff. I couldn't even beat Luffy anymore. I ended each day out of breath and aching but I refused to give up.

We had decided to finally check out the two scrolls Dragon had given us as well, now that all of us could. The first was titled _Yattsu teashi no geijutsu_ or "Art of Eight Limbs". The name came from the apparent combined use of fists, elbow, knees and shins. It was explained that the technique itself was meant to turn the very body into a weapon of war. The hands became the sword and dagger whereas the shins and forearms were to be hardened in training to become like armor. Elbows were to fell opponents in the same way a hammer or mace might while legs and knees were to act as a spear and ax, respectfully. The body was to be trained to act as one single unit, the knees and elbows constantly searching and testing for an opening while grappling and trying to spin an enemy to the ground for the kill.

The second was Judo, a form I was passably familiar with at the very least. It had three techniques: Nage waza, throwing, Katame-waza, grappling and Atemi-waza, stricking. The first, Nage waza, had three distinctive stages. Kuzushi, the initial balance break followed by Tsukuri, the art of turning in and fitting into the throw. These two were finished up by Kake, the execution and completion of the throw. Katame-waza had three subtechniques known as osaekomi-waza, shime-waza and kansetsu-waze, which were holding, strangling and joint-locking, respectfully. And finally was Atemi-waza, which was the technique of disabling your opponent with a solid strike to a vital area.

It was obvious before we'd even started that, without a formal teacher, we were unlikely to master either of these arts. So instead Ace and I studied the katas pictured and brainstormed over how best to integrate them into our brawl-heavy style. It wouldn't be easy, as both fighting styles were graceful in a way ours just wasn't, but that didn't mean it was impossible. It would just take a lot of work. And work with the purpose of getting stronger was something we'd never run from before.

When we weren't working our asses off, we were slowly making our way back into Grey Terminal and into the city. The boys hadn't been back since the fire and I myself hadn't since the Celestial Dragon shot down Sabo's ship. We were all pretty hesitant as there was no guarantee something like that wouldn't happen a second time. But eventually Ace and Luffy's pipes rusted and broke and we were honestly left with no choice. I wasn't about to let them go into such a potentially dangerous place without me.

All three of us were shocked when we passed the treeline to find piles and piles of smoking garbage, crawling with people. It looked just as it had before the fire, as if not a single thing had changed. A closer looked showed different faces, new faces that we didn't know and who wouldn't know us. It was strange to think that for all we'd been known as thieving terrors before, most of these people probably had no idea who we were and had never even heard rumors.

The farther we walked, the more apparent the similarities became. It felt like the last few months hadn't even happened. I found myself turning multiple times to address Sabo, something I hadn't done in weeks, and saw Ace and Luffy do the same.

We made the trip quick, all feeling out of sorts and wrong-footed. After that, though, we visited much more often, no longer as afraid of the place. And soon those trips extended to Edge Town and soon even further to High Town. Dine and Dashing became a regular thing, until almost every restaurant seemed to know our faces. Pickpocketing lessons started back up as if they'd never stopped and while Luffy continued to struggle with it, as it was something so unlike his upfront honest nature, Ace told me I was a natural.

Pickpocketing for me soon grew to purse snatching, which grew to breaking and entering. It was less for stealing and more for the thrill, honestly. Sneaking around was just _so easy_. And the nobles never even noticed after the first few screw ups. It took a lot of patience and a lot of slow, steady movements, but it was honestly just so fun. And great for upper body strength, given the amount of times I'd had to hang from a windowsill or scale walls so far.

Another thing it was good for was gathering information. Nobles just _talked_. All the time, about everything, as if giving out secrets was the same as giving out candy. Within weeks I was in the know on all the scandalous gossip, whether I wanted to be or not. More importantly, though, I was in the know on all the business deals. I knew when goods or money were being moved. I knew what items would be noticed missing and which would be looked over as a mere annoyance.

Within no time at all the Pirate Fund had been replenished. In fact we probably had more now than we ever had before.

I could tell that my brothers were unsure of how to feel about my new pastime. Ace was nervous for my safety, not liking the risks that I was taking just to feed my _inner adrenaline junkie_ while Luffy was mildly disapproving of the dishonesty of it all. When I'd pointed out that we were going to be pirates, though, and that stealing was just a part of the job, he'd gone quiet and then grinned at me, nodding in satisfaction at his newly cleared conscience.

The bandits when they found out were ecstatic to say the least. Dadan even had to turn away and dab at her eyes with a hankie, looking for all the world like a proud mother. Dogra had instantly taken me under his wing, wanting to pass along as many sneaking and info gathering techniques and tips as he could. It could be extremely dangerous, he'd told me seriously, and I had to be careful. Always. Even when it became second nature, even when I could do it with my eyes closed, the danger was always going to be there. And I had to understand that and be aware of it at all times. Otherwise I had no right to do it at all.

All three of us continued to get stronger, training rigorously every day, even when the temperature began to drop and the ground became covered in snow.

And before we knew it, Christmas had come and gone and the New Year was right around the corner.

As was Ace's birthday.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: Okay, first things first, I do not know Muay Thai or Judo. The explanation for both is more or less just copied and pasted from wiki. Also, I do not speak Japanese meaning that the translation of Art of Eight Limbs could very well be extremely wrong. If so, I am so sorry, and please let me know. If this is the case, please also provide the actual translation if you could, so that I can fix it. These two styles aren't going to really play a big part, regardless of the long winded explanation I gave, but they will help shape Lily's fighting style.**

 **Another thing that's going to become a big part of her character is the thievery and the info gathering. And yes, I know I know, that's what Nami and Robin do. Except no, not really. Yes, they have the skills but it's not what they're on the crew for. It's not their best skill, which would be navigation and archaeology. And they both did it out of necessity and it just became a part of who they are, whereas Lily is learning it because she wants to. Also, full disclosure, a lot of my inspiration for Lily comes from Natasha Romanoff, who is one of the biggest bad ass women I know. So.**

 **I made it to Ohio okay and the trip was pretty okay. I'm currently getting settled in. I wanted to say thank you to all of the well wishes you guys gave me! You're all lovely.**

 **ALSO: I've been getting a lot of questions about Lily and her future so I'm gonna try to answer them now.**

 **A lot of people have been asking if Lily will be getting a Devil Fruit. The answer is maybe but if she does it won't be until after they enter the Grand Line because I have plans for her in East Blue that she needs to be able to swim for. As for which Fruit it'll be, I'm thinking either one with extreme healing OR a wolf zoan type. But I'm definitely open to ideas still. It'll be awhile until a final decision has to be made so if you have any suggestions just let me know.**

 **A guest asked if I was planning to give her any tattoos or piercings and what some of her defining features are. I know I haven't gone into much detail of her in the story, which is why I drew up some pictures of her so you can get an idea of what she looks like. I have a link to the younger her on my bio page and I'm planning to get a link to her Romance Dawn look up soon(ish). But yes, I am thinking of giving her a tattoo (which you'll have to wait to find out the design on). As for how she looks, she has long slightly messy hair that she usually keeps in a braid, which usually rests over her right shoulder. She has brown eyes just the same as Luffy and she's pretty petite and short, too. Defining things would be the sleeveless purple hoodie she'll wear for Romance Dawn, the giant scar that spans the entirety of her back, and the jambiya knife she'll be carrying with her. Hopefully that clears a bit up, appearance-wise?**

 **As for the questions regarding what Lily plans to do in the future and whether or not she'll become a pirate: I thought I had made that pretty clear but maybe I was being too vague? Or not explaining it well enough? Either way, Lily plans to be a part of her brother's crew. She has since she first realized that Luffy was her brother. And I'm pretty sure that at this point Luffy wouldn't let her go that easily anyways haha**

 **And to athenaincarnate, who was asking for some recs:**

 **Timetravel: Come Morning, Together Again by mapplepie, Second Wind by The-Last-Samurai (which starts out with a bit of grammar issues but it quickly gets better and it's already to the Water 7 arc, so it's super long as well), Third Time's the Charm by Sea Rover Tactician, Tomorrow's Romance Dawn by X-Chick303, and Young and Built to Fall by fingers-falling-upwards.**

 **OC: The Whitebeard Wolfpack by RedHairedOctavia, One Piece, Two Piece, Red Piece, Blue Piece by Bluejay Blaze, and Hanley by NibelungVelocity (which is REALLY REALLY LONG. It takes quite awhile to get to Romance Dawn. But Hanley's relationship with Luffy is ADORABLE.)**

 **Fix-Its: Bonds of Sea and Fire by Mithril Lace, Brother on Board by JOHNS1LVER, Second Round by Rasberry Jo, Somewhere to Belong by Pizza Yum, and To Build a Home by endlessblankpages**

 **Hope you like some of them :)**

 **Next up is Ace's birthday. So much potential for angst and fluff!**

 **Until then, thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite or review to let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

January first dawned bright and blue.

It started out just as any other day. As the temperature continued to get colder, our nightly puppy piles got more and more convoluted, to the point where it was nearly impossible to tell whose limbs were whose. I usually ended up squashed between the boys but I never really minded it as both of them put out heat like tiny furnaces.

I was the first to awaken, as I often was, and laid there quietly as I soaked in the peaceful silence of the morning, as I often did. This time of day was always limited as, no more than thirty minutes later, Luffy was usually unwinding his limbs from around us and bouncing to his feet, demands of breakfast leaving his lips before he was even fully awake. Ace was always the most difficult, having never been a morning person. But Lu was nothing if not persistent and he was able to have our older brother up and out the door within minutes.

It was decided, by me, that we would be having tiger for breakfast. Ace had looked confused, knowing that this generally wouldn't be my first choice, but he hadn't complained. Because tiger _would_ in fact be his first choice, seeing as it was his favorite. I fact I knew and was ready to abuse the hell out of for the occasion.

After eating I suggested we head to town and, not really having an argument against it, my brothers both agreed. It wasn't easy losing Ace, what with how overprotective he tended to be, but I wasn't turning into a pint-sized pro for nothing.

I'd had his present picked out for weeks, knowing that it was perfect from the moment I laid eyes on it. I had to wait until the very last minute, though, knowing how awful Luffy was at keeping secrets from our older brother. And while I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for ditching the older boy I was hoping that it would definitely be worth it.

As soon as I let slip that it was Ace's birthday, Lu let out an excited yelp and began bouncing around, grabbing onto my hand and practically dragging me forward when I went too slow for his liking. He had the same exact reaction as I had to the present, gushing over how much Ace was bound to love it because it was _so cool!_ More than cool, it was _perfect_.

I really should've known that leaving Ace the way we had wasn't going to end well. It was only inevitable that he'd begin to search for us, probably frantically. And that would eventually lead him into the company of some pretty drunk and unsavory fellows.

Which, since this was Ace, would then lead to questions asked to all the wrong people.

"Hey... What would you do... if the Pirate King had a son?"

I froze at the words, my blood running cold. We'd been so close, just around the corner. I had no idea how Ace had made it into this alley, surrounded by drunk and stinking thugs, but here he was, arms defiantly crossed as he waited for an answer. An answer that came in the form of taunting jeers and laughter.

"A son?! That devil of a man?" On guy demanded. "Well, it'd only be right to kill 'im, of course!"

"Right? Or maybe burn the little fucker at the stake!"

"It'd only serve him right, carrying the blood of a demon like that!"

"It'd have to be recorded, so that everyone around the world could see it! Everyone with a grudge against Roger could point and laugh as the kid burned!"

"Got that right!"

" _Shut your fucking mouths._ " I barely recognized the voice that escaped me. Even facing Sabo's father and Bluejam, I was fairly sure I'd never felt anger, felt _rage_ like this before in my life.

The inhabitants of the alley had all spun to face me, eyes widening at whatever expression was on my face right now.

"Ana? Luffy?" Ace asked, having gone pale at the sight of me. Luffy stood at my side, holding the bag I'd thrust into his grip without even realizing as I'd marched into the fray. He looked ready for a fight even though he obviously had no idea what was happening. But he knew that I was pissed and that Ace had that dead look in his eyes that had been gone for ages now. And that was really all he cared about.

"Why should we?" One of the more inebriated men finally rallied, pushing himself up to unsteady feet and jabbing a wavering finger in my direction. "All we're speakin' is the truth!"

"Yeah, that's right, ya little shit!" The rest began to gain their feet beneath them, stumbling about.

"Ask anyone and they'll just tell ya the same thing!"

"You're all pretty fucking stupid, huh?" I asked as I sauntered forward, passing by a gaping Ace with barely a glance. "Say one more word and I'll kick each and every one of your faces into the fucking street, got it?"

"Ana, no, forget it!" Ace finally snapped out of his shock, lunging forward to grasp my elbow, intent on pulling me away. I held fast, though, refusing to budge.

"You're the one who picked this fight, Ace," I told him quietly.

"Yeah, _I_ did! So, just leave it the hell alone, alright? You have no idea what's even going on!"

"Don't I?" I turned to look him straight in the eye, watching as his own widened in response. "I _know_ you, Ace."

"N-no," he was stuttering now, thrown off guard and free-falling into panic. "You don't. You don't!"

I sighed, turning back to give the men behind me one last dead-eyed glare, before turning to march back to the street. Luffy and Ace followed instantly, Lu looking disappointed at the missed fight and Ace looking like he was on the brink of a freak-out.

We'd barely made it back to the tree fort when Ace couldn't hold his silence anymore. I was vaguely surprised he'd even made it that long, what with the way he'd been clenching his fists and gritting his teeth the entire way. As soon as we were in the clearing he spun around to face me, his face looking like it'd been set in stone.

"You don't know," he stated with a conviction I could tell he didn't feel. "You don't. You _can't._ "

"I do." I kept my own voice gentle, quiet, as if trying not to spook a cornered animal.

" _How?_ "

"Hey, none of that!" I commanded when his blank face began give way to desperation, despair and, above all, resigned acceptance. He was expecting us to leave. He was expecting us to hate and shun him for this. Just like everybody else had. ' _Fuck that_ ', I thought angrily as I marched forward and gripped him by the chin, forcing him to look down and meet my eyes. "I don't care who your dad is, you idiot."

"Of course you do!" He snarled, ripping himself out of my grip and turning away from me, as if bracing himself for a blow. "Everybody does! I'm the son of a demon!"

"You're the son of a _man_. And extremely powerful and notorious man, yeah, but Gol D. Roger was still just that: a man."

"Gold Roger?!" Luffy's voice rung out suddenly, causing the both of us to jump. I'd completely forgotten he was even there, honestly. "Your dad is the Pirate King? Really?!"

Silence descended upon the clearing as we both stared at Luffy in disbelief. The older boy recovered more quickly, the rage I'd been expecting this entire time finally bleeding into his expression.

"That man is not my father, dammit!" Ace snarled, causing the grin on my brother's face to falter. "I don't have a father!"

"Oh, so he isn't?" Luffy pouted in disappointment. "That sucks. It would've been so cool!"

"Cool? _Cool_?" Ace stalked forward, grabbing a fist full of Luffy's shirt and shaking him roughly. "What's so fucking cool about it, huh? You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, so just shut up!"

"That's enough!" I yelled, forcing myself between the two and shoving them apart. I kept my glare solidly aimed at the older boy. "It's not Luffy's fault. You know what his dream is! Of course he'd be excited! And Lu," I glanced over my shoulder at my brother, who had his brows furrowed while his hand absently straightened out his wrinkled shirt. I sighed at him. "Learn to read the situation."

Ace scoffed at me, fierce scowl in place and looking at us with the kind of dead eyes I hadn't seen since Porchemy beat the shit out of us. "Whatever," he grumbled, stalking forward and shoving his way past us, making straight for the woods and back towards town.

"Where are you going?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea already.

"Away."

"Ace!"

The older boy continued marching forward, not once slowing down or looking back. I sighed as I watched him go until he eventually disappeared from sight. In the ensuing silence, Luffy bit his lip as he glanced back and forth from me to the tree line where Ace'd gone, almost nervously.

"Did I make him mad?" He finally asked, voice hesitant and hushed in a way that was just wrong coming from him. He looked nearly devastated by the thought. Luffy annoyed and frustrated Ace all the time, until the older boy was yelling and throwing punches, but he'd never made Ace actually _angry_. And it had never been to the point where our brother just _left_.

"No, no, of course not!" I rushed to reassure him, wanting that expression on his face to go away. Luffy blaming himself right now wasn't going to help anyone and I'd be sure to give Ace an earful about it later, right after I beat the sense back into him. "Ace is... He's just angry right now, okay? But it's not your fault."

"Does Ace hate the Pirate King?"

"I... don't think he hates the man. You can't really truly hate someone you've never met, after all. I think it's more that he hates the idea of him. The image that people have made of him, and the way it's affected his own life," I tried to explain.

"Will Ace hate me when I become the Pirate King?" Luffy asked, voice barely audible and shoulders slumped, head tilted down until his hat shadowed his eyes.

"No," I answered instantly, my tone leaving no room for argument. Of this, I was absolutely certain. "He's mad right now, but he's still our older brother. No matter where we are or what we do, remember?"

"So, it's okay that I still want to be the Pirate King even though it makes Ace angry?" He asked, raising his head in order to make eye contact with me. I couldn't help but smile at the hope that was glimmering in those large eyes, even hidden as it was by his continued confusion and concern.

"It's okay," I assured him, and laughed when he lunged forward in order to wrap his arms around me, delighted that his dream wasn't in jeopardy. I brought a hand up to run it gently through his hair as he leaned his head against my shoulder. "And Ace will be back soon and we'll get this all worked out, I promise. Until then, what do you say we go find some lunch?"

"MEAT! I want crocodile!"

.

* * *

.

Ace didn't return until late that night, long after the sun had gone down. I wasn't surprised when he opened the hatch of our tree house and revealed himself to be covered in cuts and bruised and grime. I'd guessed that he'd gone back to town after he'd left. He'd probably hunted down that group of men from before to finish what he'd started before moving onto the next one. If the hour and the state he looked to be in were any indication he'd probably been fighting all day.

"Are you done being an ass?" I demanded of him as I continued to run my fingers through Luffy's hair. He'd grown more and more upset as the sun set and Ace still hadn't returned. The only way I'd been able to get him to sit still was when I forced him to lay his head in my lap and began petting his head. He'd gone boneless near instantly, as I knew he would, and it hadn't taken long for him to fall asleep. Speaking of. "Lu, wake up. Ace is back."

"Ace!" He lunged up into a sitting position, almost bashing his head into mine as he went. He sat there blinking for a moment, still half asleep, before his gaze finally landed on our brother and he grinned. "Ace!"

"Yeah, I... I'm calmer," the older boy answered my earlier question, gazing off to the side while he continued to stand there, shifting his weight from foot to foot. I sighed at the sight of him and again when I looked at my twin, who was bouncing in place and barely holding himself back from jumping at him.

"Look," I finally said, sick and tired of all this bullshit. "Your birth father is Gol D. Roger, the late Pirate King. I don't care. Besides donating to your gene pool and being Lu's predecessor, the guy means pretty much nothing to me, personally. He's never done anything to my family that I know of. And I'm not so sure I'm willing to believe all the stories the World Government spreads about him being a demon. They're pretty notorious for painting people in the worst possible light simply for being a pirate, after all. It's the same as with Sabo. I don't care who your parents are. You're _our_ older brother. Which means that you belong to us. No take-backs."

"Yeah, no take-backs!"

Ace looked slightly stunned at my statement and Luffy's automatic agreement. I couldn't exactly blame him. He'd grown up being spit on and shit on by everybody, simply because of who his dad was. Even the people that were supposed to take care of him, like Gramps and Dadan, hadn't been all that kind about it. Dadan had called Ace a demon multiple times, and not always affectionately, while Garp had done absolutely nothing to dispel the notion that Roger was a horrible man even though he personally knew otherwise.

"How..." Ace cleared his throat as emotion cracked his voice. He looked like he was still trying to process what I'd said. "How do you know? That I'm his son? Did someone tell you?"

"Nobody told me," I answered truthfully, not wanting him to get mad at Sabo or Dadan for no reason. "It was kind of obvious after awhile. The way you hate him said that you either had a close connection to him or that he did something to you. You're too young to have known him, so I ruled out the latter. Plus, there was that big scandal where the Navy was going from island to island, searching out anyone who might be pregnant with Roger's heir. And then," I hesitated, knowing that he wasn't going to like this part one bit, "from what I've seen, you look an awful lot like him."

I could see Ace gritting his teeth, just as unhappy as I knew he'd be. "Is that so?"

"Once I heard you asking that question earlier today it pretty much confirmed it." I didn't know if I should hate the fact that lying about this stuff had become so easy or not. One the one hand I was lying straight to my brother's faces. On the other, though, I was keeping my extra knowledge a secret. I'd debated with myself whether or not to reveal what I was to them. But something in me told me that it was a bad idea. They wouldn't abuse the knowledge, I knew. In fact, Luffy would probably make it an official order that I not tell him anything, not wanting me to ruin the adventure. And the knowledge was still there for me to divulge and act upon if I wanted. But some deep part of me just continued to insist that telling people wouldn't be a good idea.

And so the lying would have to continue, no matter how honest I otherwise tried to be with them.

"Besides," I continued blithely, "it's not like you're the only kid of a so-called demon. Lu and I are as well."

"Wait, what?"

"Our dad. His name's Dragon. He's the leader of the Revolutionaries."

"You mean the guy that saved you and Sabo?" Ace demanded. I nodded, causing him to scowl at me. "Why didn't you say that earlier, stupid!"

I shrugged at him. "Didn't seem pertinent before. It does now."

"You... you..." Ace groaned, rubbing at his face tiredly. He was clearly unimpressed with my nonchalant attitude. "God dammit."

"We have a dad?" Luffy cut in, cocking his head at me.

"Yes, Luffy, we have a dad," I said dryly, my tone going straight over his head. "Where did you think we came from? A cabbage patch?"

Even with his face covered by his hands as it was, I still heard the snort Ace let out at my words. Luffy, on the other hand, just looked more and more confused.

"Cabbage patch?" He asked, nose wrinkling automatically at the thought of the vegetable.

I sighed at him. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"How do _you_ know about that?" Ace finally looked up at me to demand, face full of suspicion.

"I'll tell you when you're older," I repeated, making sure to sound as patronizing as possible. The older boy stuck his tongue out at me in response like the mature big brother that he was. Seeing the expression had a knot of anxiety I hadn't even known had formed in my chest coming loose. I let out a breath as relief coursed through me, knowing that even if the matter wasn't settled, we were still over the worst of it. Taking this chance, I walked over to the corner where we'd placed his gift bag before picking it up and throwing it to him. "Here, now that you're not being a gigantic asshole anymore. This is from Lu and I. Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday!" Luffy echoed with a grin, bouncing around in excitement. "Open it, open it, open it!"

"My... birthday? You guys got me a birthday present?" Ace sounded stunned, like this was something that had never happened before. And the sad thing was, it probably hadn't.

"Open it and find out." My words were teasing but my voice was gentle, recognizing what a big deal this was for him. He nodded as he removed a box from within the bag. He lifted the lid of it almost reverently before softly setting it aside. He reached in to pull out his gift and there, held within his hands, was a bright orange cowboy hat adorned with red beads and smiley faces, the tether of it ending with what looked like a bull's skull.

"So, what do you think?" I asked after a moment of quiet, where he simply stared at the object in his hands, his face carefully blank.

"It's..." He swallowed but his voice remained clogged with emotion. "It's perfect. _Thank you_." And then he was placing it on his head and grinning widely at us, looking happier and more carefree than I'd yet to see him. Luffy let out a whoop of joy, jumping forward and wrapping himself around our older brother in a tight embrace. Ace stumbled at the added weight but wasted no time in hugging the rubber boy back, even as he grumbled about it. His face was dusted pink in embarrassment but the smile never once left his face.

I felt a smile of my own form at the sight of them. My boys, together and happy.

Disastrous as it may have started, I was definitely counting this birthday as a win.

.

* * *

.

About a month and a half after Ace's birthday, Garp came crashing into our training field.

I was the first to see him, as I was sitting on the sidelines while Ace and Luffy took their turn fighting. The instant I laid eyes on the man I felt myself pale, shivers of pure terror running up and down my spine. It was true that we'd been expecting him to show up any time now, as he often did around our birthdays, but even so the image of him appearing was enough to strike fear into the hardest of hearts. I could be the strongest person in the world and the old man would still terrify the shit out of me.

"A-Ace... Luffy!" I finally managed to stutter out, raising a shaking finger to point behind them. They'd frozen instantly at my tone before whipping around to see just what it is that had me so scared. They'd barely laid eyes on our Grandfather's grinning face before he was lunging forward, Fist of Love cocked and ready to fly.

"Are you all ready to become strong marines?!" The punch my brothers had just barely been able to dodge landed on the ground instead, cracking the ground around the hit.

"Are you trying to kill us, you shitty Gramps?!" Ace yelled back at him, grabbing Luffy by the arm and trying to throw him in my direction.

"I'm trying to make you strong!" Garp cackled back at us. After that there wasn't much talking on our parts. More screaming than anything, if we're being honest. We'd gotten a lot stronger, which was undeniable fact, but Gramps simply upped his own ante in response.

I was surprised at how agile I'd become. Fighting against Lu and Ace every day, the progress wasn't as easy to measure because we were all progressing at the same time. But as Gramps threw punch after punch, I found myself weaving around his fists, contorting and bending my body away from the hits. Of course, that didn't mean I escaped all of them.

It was when he managed to clip me in my barely healed back and I let out a noise I didn't even know I could make that our impromptu survival training came to an end.

"Lily!"

"You stay away from her!"

One minute I was on the ground, my vision fuzzy and my ears ringing. The next, I had Luffy's arms wrapped around me and holding me up while Ace stood before us both, arms stretched out as if to shield us. Gramps stood before us, his large grin absent for once as he regarded us with serious eyes.

"Where is my fourth grandchild?" He finally asked, eyes scanning the clearing as if he could just pop up out of nowhere. His gaze snapped back to us when we all collectively stiffened.

"Not here," I answered, voice coming out strained.

"Does he think he can hide from me? That brat!" He placed his hands on his hips, chest puffed out in indignation.

"No," I shook off the last of the effects from his punch as I stood, Luffy's hand hovering behind my back the whole time as he watched me with large eyes. I stretched, wincing when it pulled at my scar a bit. "I mean he's _not here._ On the island. He had to leave a few months ago."

"Yeah, you shitty Gramps! Sabo's not here!"

"Yeah, your precious World Nobles made sure of that," Ace snarled at him, hateful scowl adorning his face as he continued to stand between us.

"World Nobles?" Garp echoed, brow furrowed. He placed his hand on his chin in what was clearly a thinking pose and began humming to himself. It took nearly a minute before he snapped his fingers. "Oh! The Celestial Dragon came here for an inspection! Sengoku did tell me about that but I wasn't really listening. I'd just gotten a new shipment of rice crackers, after all, and who wants to work when there's food to eat?"

"Are you serious?!" Ace yelled, not in the mood for our Grandpa's usual antics. "Ana and Sabo nearly _died_! Luffy, too! Those shitty nobles set the entire Grey Terminal on fire, people included! And then they shot at Sabo for no reason! And you were busy _eating rice crackers_?!"

"Where is the boy now?" Garp's entire demeanor suddenly changed, eyes darkening and face becoming grim. "Did they take him? The Celestial Dragon, did they take him?"

"They didn't," I answered softly, knowing immediately what he was asking. He let out an audible sigh of relief in response. Yeah, slave to the World Nobles was not a fate to be wished upon anyone. "They shot at his boat. I swam out to save him and we both got hurt and almost died but... But dad was here, for some reason. He saved us."

"Dragon?!" Gramps yelled out, looking more and more shocked. "That shitty son! What was he doing here?!"

"Don't know. But he got us medical help and then dropped me off at Foosha. Sabo went with him."

"Hey, should we really be telling him that?" Ace whispered to me, unease on his face. Even Luffy look nervous about it. I shook my head at them.

"It's fine. Even if Gramps is pissed, there's not much he can do. Besides, he might kick up a fuss, but he's probably just glad Sabo's alive."

Garp, meanwhile, was groaning as he rubbed at his short hair. "Sengoku can't find out about this. He'd have my hide. Worse, he'd take my rice crackers. Probably for even longer than last time! No way can he find out about this!" He let out one final sigh before his head snapped up and his gaze landed on me, causing me to involuntarily flinch. "And you! What's wrong with you?"

"I got hurt," I told him simply, shrugging. "Burned, on my back. It only just recently healed."

"I see," he suddenly plopped down on the ground, legs crossed beneath him and hands propped on his knees. "I'll have to remember that for training. You've all gotten much stronger! But you've still got a ways to go before you're even halfway decent marines!"

As he started laughing, I glanced over at Ace from the corner of my eye. He looked far paler than usual, clearly trying to get up the nerve to ask and failing. Deciding to help by pushing him straight into the deep end, I shoved him forward and cleared my throat. "Ah, Gramps? Ace wanted to ask you a training question."

"A training question?" Gramps repeated, grin spreading across his face in delight. "Ask away!"

Ace finally removed his glare from me, instead directing it towards the ground as he crossed his arms, huffing. "It's about haki. I've apparently got Conqueror's Haki but I have no idea how to use it."

"The King's Disposition, eh?" The old man muttered, turning serious once more. "I guess it's not all that much of a surprise, considering."

"Yeah, I'm my father's son, whatever," Ace grumbled. "Can you help me or not?"

"At your age, you shouldn't even know what haki is, let alone have it. How did it awaken?"

"During the fire, we got trapped by a bunch of pirates. One of them was about to kill Luffy," Ace shrugged, glancing back to look at both Luffy and I, as if needing the visual confirmation that we were indeed still there. "I just reacted. Felt like something in me broke open and all the pressure just lashed out."

Gramps was nodding, almost absently. "I see. It does make sense." He looked back up to meet Ace's gaze. "You won't be able to use it for some time. Haki depends on both mental and physical strength and balance, and while you're growing it's unlikely that you'll find it for long. But I can show you some exercises so that you won't hurt others accidentally."

Ace nodded. "That's good enough."

"Actually, could you teach us what we can do once we're old enough? I know it'll be awhile. But our bodies should stop growing around fifteen or sixteen," I broke in. "And I really do want to train as soon as we're able to."

"I'll have to take more time off for that," Gramps mumbled. He continued to mutter to himself as his face grew more and more red, clearly deep in thought. Finally, he let out a long breath before his grin appeared once more. "To hell with it, Sengoku can deal with it! How about this? You three continue to train and I'll continue to check up on you. And when Ace turns fifteen I'll start taking longer vacations. That's when training will really start, so you brats better be prepared!"

All three of us paled, unable to help but feel like we'd just received a death sentence.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: Garp is really hard for me to write, I don't know if you've noticed. I figured that, in front of the kids at least, he'd have a pretty big nonreaction to Sabo's situation as soon as he knew he was alive and relatively safe. It may be his job to be an enemy of the Revolutionaries but even he knows that being with them is better than being a slave. And to kick up a fuss about it now would just draw attention to Sabo, and his other grandkids, which is something they really don't need. So, I feel that even if he's upset he wouldn't necessarily act like it. Hence his back and forth mood changes.**

 **How did I do with the Ace situation? I knew that Lily had to come clean about knowing eventually and I figured now was as good a time as any.**

 **So, I've gotten some good suggestions about Devil Fruits. Lightsbane1905 suggested Mythical Zoans, Fenrir (who is basically an ice wolf) and Quetzalcoatl (who is a winged serpent). I found both pretty interesting because in the myth of Fenrir, he's chained up by the gods until he breaks free at Ragnarok, which would be ironic simply because Lily fears being chained and trapped the most. As for Quetzalcoatl, he's the Aztec god of intelligence and self-reflection, both of which are attributes that could be applied to Lily, and to make it even better he's referred to as the _Feathered Serpent_ or the _Precious Twin_. **

**I don't know how into giving Lily a mythical zoan fruit I am, simply because that seems to be an OC trope that is severely overplayed. Especially given how rare Mythical Fruits are, what are the chances that she'd find one? But if you guys really wouldn't mind, then it's definitely an option. As Anonyme Fr pointed out (and that I had honestly completely forgotten about, so thank you!) the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Wolf is already taken by Jabra, a member of CP9. The only other animal type I'd really consider is a fox, given her sneaky and fast nature. Other than that, I've still got my mind on a healing ability fruit as well. But like I said, it'll be quite a while before her Fruit comes into play so there's plenty of time for you guys to give suggestions or tell me what you think!**

 **And to athenaincarnate, who asked what kind of reviews I like: I'm honestly happy with any kind of review you guys decide to leave me. Even ones as short as "This is good!". But my preference is definitely for long reviews. I absolutely love hearing all that you guys have to say, reading your suggestions on how to make my writing or the story better, about the parts you like and the parts you think need some work. It's honestly one of the best things about writing, getting to see your responses to it. So, I'm grateful for any length of review you're able to leave, but the longer ones are definitely my favorite.**

 **And even though they didn't ask a question, I wanted to give a special thanks to ApplePieJustCuzILove'Em who's been leaving reviews for almost every chapter. Thank you so much for your support! It really means a lot!**

 **Also, fair warning, I have not proofread this chapter. In fact I'm already running late but took the time to post it anyway, knowing I probably wouldn't get the chance to later. So, sorry for any mistakes or goofs, or if you could tell that my writing was a bit rushed. I'll try to take more time on the next update!**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite or review and let me know what you think! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Angst and fluff. And blood. And murder? Uh.**

 **.**

* * *

.

"Lily! Ace! Luffy!"

I turned from where I'd been guarding my food, a piece of meat hanging from my mouth as I looked towards Dogra, who'd just barged into the bandit's hut. I'd done my best to avoid the eating habits my brothers had fallen into but I hadn't been completely successful, to my shame. It wasn't entirely my fault, though! When you had two brothers who practically inhaled their own food while also stealing yours, you had to eat just as fast or you didn't eat at all. And with the amount of training we did we burned through what we ate quickly and so we had to eat _a lot_.

Thankfully, I'd been able to retain some manners at least. Swallowing what was in my mouth quickly, I was the only one who bothered to respond as Ace and Lu continued stuffing their faces. "Yeah? What's up?"

"You three got a letter!" He brandished the large envelop at me with a flourish, large knowing grin spread across his face. I blinked at him, confused, before turning my attention to what was in his hand instead. As soon as I saw the giant _S_ that marked the sender I was tearing it from his hands and ripping into it.

"It's from Sabo!" I yelled out for my brother's benefit, causing both to begin choking. Ignoring the interesting shades of blue they were turning as the bandits began beating their backs, my eyes scanned the letter quickly, smile splitting my face as I took in his words.

 _Ace, Luffy, Ana,_

 _You guys are doing okay right? Has that shitty Gramps been by to visit lately? I hope you were able to escape him, and that everything's fine there._

 _My body's been healing, but it's pretty slow going. But that's okay, because Dragon-san told me that once I was healed I'd be able to train with a Fishman! An actual Fishman! And that he might even oversee some of my lessons personally!_

 _Ana, are your wounds healed yet? They were really bad when you left. I hope they haven't gotten worse. I know that you're strong though, so I'm sure that you're fine. No way would my baby sister let something as little as a burn stop her!_

 _Ace and Luffy, I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I wasn't able to say goodbye to you, not like I should have. I understand if you're mad, or if you won't forgive me. But I wanted you to know that I had to leave. I couldn't stay in that place anymore. Those nobles smelled worse than the trash heap ever did, rotten down to their very core._

 _We made a vow to live our lives with no regrets and so I knew that I had to leave with the Revolutionaries. And I hope that we'll see each other again, out on that big blue sea. We'll meet again on the Grand Line, right? And we'll see how strong we've all gotten. And at that time, I'm hopeful that you'll still call me your brother._

 _Oh, and Ace? Look after Ana and Lu for me, okay? I can't help but worry about my troublesome little siblings. But I know as long as you're there, they'll be just fine._

 _S_

I huffed out a laugh, wiping absently at the tears that had swelled up in my eyes in relief. Ace and Luffy had recovered and were now staring at the letter held in my hands almost hungrily. I handed it to the oldest boy without hesitation, knowing how desperate he was to see it. It was one thing to be told that our brother was still alive, it was another entirely to be shown actual proof of it.

His steel gray eyes roved over the page quickly as various expressions pulled at his face, from smiles to pouts to scowls. It was pretty entertaining to watch, especially since he seemed to have no idea he was even doing it.

"What's it say, what's it say!" Luffy yelled out as he jumped in place by Ace's side, ever the impatient one.

"You'll get your turn in a minute, Lu," I assured him, laughing when this did nothing more than cause the energetic boy to pout.

"That idiot!" Ace yelled out, cutting off whatever my twin would have said next. I blinked at the indignance on the older boy's face. "Of course he's still our brother! And of course I'll look after you guys! I don't need him to tell me that, I would've done it anyways!"

"I'm sure he knows that," I told him with barely concealed amusement. "It's kind of his job as an older brother to say it anyways, though, isn't it?"

"He's not the older brother, I am!"

"He's _our_ older brother. And besides, he was the sensible one."

"And the nice one."

" _Shut up_!"

.

* * *

.

Luffy and I saw our ninth birthday, and then our tenth.

Birthdays had become a bit of an affair between all of us. We'd begun to go all out to make them special, especially for Ace, who seemed to have the hardest time accepting it. But we knew that it was likely the last chance we'd have to relax and have fun before Gramps showed up, and so it was a chance we latched onto with death grips.

As promised, Gramps began taking longer vacations when he came to see us, though for now they were only extended by a few days. He held fast to not teaching us about haki until Ace had turned fifteen, only providing our older brother with breathing and meditative techniques in order to keep his Conqueror's from lashing out unexpectedly. My brothers had both been extremely dubious about it, especially when I suggested to Luffy that we should participate as well.

But it made sense to me, and I tried my best to explain it to both boys as well.

"Haki is a part of you, it's an energy within you that comes from willpower. By using meditation to get to know your own mind better, it'll help later when we're trying to learn how to use it."

They both continued to look unconvinced but went along with it anyways, knowing that if I said that it would help I was more than likely right. Unsurprisingly, it was Luffy who had the most trouble with it, having to at times actually dig his hands into the ground just to keep himself in place. Even so, his head continued to twitch towards every sound that came from the forest around us, body thrumming with the desire to bolt up and explore. He continued to try, though, if for no one's sake than mine. I was hopeful, also, that even if he couldn't get the actual meditation part down this would at least teach him a bit of patience, a trait that he very sorely needed.

Ace had been extremely reluctant but, unlike Lu and I, he didn't actually have a choice. Any attempts to skip out on it were met with one of Garp's Fists of Love until our older brother was either reluctantly trying or beaten unconscious, whatever came first. Even after Gramps left, though, I continued on with it, even being able to talk my brothers into it a few times a week. I knew that learning haki, especially at such a young age, was not going to be easy and that we could each use all the help that we could get.

Training with Gramps wasn't all meditation and peaceful breathing techniques, of course. No, before that came what I'd not-so-affectionately dubbed the _Attempted Familicide_ portion of the day, which more or less consisted of four or more hours of our grandfather beating the ever living shit out of us.

I had to admit, though, that it was indeed helpful. Painful, god yes, but helpful. It was nice to be able to see how much we'd been able to improve in the months that he'd been gone. We'd continued trying to piece together bits of the scrolls we'd received into our fighting styles and while it was extremely slow going, it was working. It helped that Edge Town and Grey Terminal were filled with so many willing test subjects for us to practice on.

Rumors of the Three Demon Children had spread pretty quickly once we began making our journeys off the mountain again. Most scoffed at us, choosing instead to think of the ones we'd beaten as extremely weak. After all, how else could a couple of brats beat anyone? There was no way we could possibly be that strong, right?

And so we had a lot of challengers every time we went down there as a group and while it was sometimes annoying, we didn't much mind. For every thug we beat, that was just more money in our overflowing Pirate Fund. Not like we needed it much now, what with the amount of looting I did on a weekly basis.

It was during one of these fights, though, right on the edge of Grey Terminal, that my life changed in a way I had, perhaps naively, never expected.

We'd been fighting a group of five and they were going down at a pretty embarrassing rate. I'd just taken two down in one move, wrapping my legs around one guy's throat and twisting my body, sending myself backwards into free-fall before catching my weight on my hands. I spun on my palms, the grip of my legs still tight and causing the man to follow with the movement as it sent him barreling into the guy who thought he'd been sneaking up on me. Both went down in a tangle of limbs, the force of the blow enough to knock the breath out of them both. And while they weren't necessarily down for the count, it'd still be a few minutes before they'd be getting back up again.

I scanned my surroundings as I flipped back to my feet, body braced for anything that could happen, and that was when I saw it.

Ace and Luffy were both engaged in their own fights and looked to be winning pretty easily, which didn't shock me that much. What did was the fact that the fifth guy, the first to be taken down by Ace's pipe, was now back on his feet. And had a gun, which was steadily aimed right at my older brother's back.

The world seemed to stop in that moment, adrenaline kicking into overdrive and slowing things down. I could see the guy's finger tightening on the trigger, could see that the aim would be true. Could see that my brothers had no idea what was about to happen and that no matter how I screamed Ace wouldn't be able to move in time. Would likely turn to me instead, leaving himself open on both sides. And then I saw the knife, dropped to the ground by one of the guys I myself had taken down and left there, forgotten about. Until now.

I didn't even think, not really. I saw this man about to kill my brother and simply acted, surging forward as rage consumed me because _how dare he_ point _that thing_ at _my brother_?

One second I was running, scooping up the dropped blade as I went, and the next everything had gone red.

It took me a moment to fully process what I was seeing. To determine that the red was, in fact, blood. Blood that was pouring at a rate far too fast from where a knife was protruding from a slashed neck. A knife that I still had a grip on, that was still in my hands, even as the man before me gasped and gargled and tried weakly, so weakly, to shove me off and away from him.

I watched as his actions became slower, more sluggish, until stopping completely. Until the wet wheezing of his breath quieted, until those endless blank eyes were staring at me in condemnation, even as the life left them.

Still, I continued to stare. I couldn't comprehend what had happened, what I was seeing, what I'd just _done_. Had I just...?

" _LILIANA_!"

I flinched, finally tearing my wide-eyed gaze from my victim - he was my _victim_ , oh god, I'd _killed him_ \- to find Ace beside me, his own eyes wild as he continued to shake my shoulder. I got the feeling he'd been trying to get my attention for awhile now and I just hadn't noticed, which was odd.

It felt like I wasn't there, like I wasn't existing, like the only thing that did exist was the blood, the blood that covered _everything_ , the blood that was _everywhere_ -

"We have to go, we have to go _now_ , come on!"

And then I was being tugged up and away, thrown over my brother's shoulder like I weighed nothing at all. I couldn't make myself concentrate, couldn't even tell where we were going or how long we were moving. I could only stare at my red-soaked hands and the knife I'd still yet to let go of. It wasn't anything special, wasn't adorned or curved or serrated. It was a tiny thing, barely the length of my palm, with a blade of plain steel and a hilt wrapped in nothing but black leather. There was nothing outstanding about this knife at all. And yet it had still been able to take a life, had enabled me to kill someone in seconds, _in seconds_ , and now someone was dead. _Someone was dead_.

"Lily, sweetheart, I need you to look at me. Can you do that?" I blinked up at the soft tone to meet Dadan's worried gaze. She knelt before me, hands cupping my cheeks, gentle in a way I'd never thought to associate with the large woman before. I looked around myself, confused. I could've sworn I was just being carried by Ace through the trash heap. How had I gotten to Dadan's? And when had I been set down?

I blinked again and found my hands in a tight but gentle grip, a towel wiping firmly at my fingers. I was losing time and I should be worried, should be scared, but instead I found myself unable to look away as the once white rag turned first pink and then red, soaking up the blood that still covered me. Even as my skin became clear, I still couldn't help but feel like I was absolutely drenched in the stuff.

"... even happened?" Dadan's voice filtered through once more. It sounded like she was trying to be stern but couldn't quite manage it.

"I-I don't know!" Ace was stammering. Which was odd. Ace didn't stammer like that, he never sounded nervous and upset like that, not unless something was really wrong. "One minute we were all fighting thugs a-and the next... The next she was just on this guy and there was b-blood _everywhere_ and -"

"Breathe, kid," a firm voice I distantly recognized as Dogra commanded. I heard my older brother take a long, deep breath. When he spoke again his voice was quieter, but it still shook badly.

"I think... I think she -"

"Lily?"

I jumped, bringing my eyes away from my now clean hands to find Luffy sitting next to me, gazing at me with solemn eyes. I could do nothing but blink as he slowly reached for me, not understanding what it was he was doing. But the minute he tried to grasp my hands in his own, I jolted away from him as if burned.

"D-Don't!" I yelled, causing all movement to freeze as everyone turned to stare at me. I kept my own eyes on Luffy, who continued to gaze back at me steadily. "You'll g-get b-blood on you! You c-can't!"

"There's no blood left."

"There is!" I thrust my palms up and forward. "Don't you see it?! It's everywhere! It's a-all over me!"

"It's not." He reached forward again, ignoring when I tried to back away and taking a firm grip on me, lacing his fingers through my own. "It's not there, Lily. There's no blood left."

"There is," and suddenly I was crying, sobbing, to the point where it felt like I couldn't even breathe. "It's there, I can feel it. I can feel it, Lu, it'll get on you. It'll smear on you, too, you can't -"

"I don't care if it does. You were protecting us." He sounded as sure of this as he ever did when proclaiming his dream. "And so I don't care if I get blood on me."

"Luffy..." I hesitated only a moment longer before burying my face into his shirt and letting out a strangled cry, not wanting to see the world anymore. He didn't protest, only wormed one hand out from between us so that he could hold me closer. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, that's not what I meant to do, I swear! But he had a gun and he was gonna shoot Ace and I couldn't... I couldn't think of anything else to do! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kill him!"

"Shh, it's okay. I forgive you. It's okay. You were protecting us. You didn't do anything wrong. Shhh, I've got you."

Luffy continued to murmur at me as the sobs ripped through me, one after another. It felt like it would never end, like I'd spend the rest of my life here on this floor, grieving for the man that I'd killed, grieving for the piece of me I hadn't even known I could lose.

After a few minutes the room got quiet, the bandits leaving to give us our space, and I felt another pair of arms wrap around me from behind. Ace leaned forward, resting his forehead against the back of my neck as the two effectively shielded me between them from the rest of the world.

"I'm sorry you had to do that to protect me," my older brother whispered, regret clear in his voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't watching the way I should've been, and you had to do something like this for me. Thank you. Thank you for protecting me."

I couldn't help but turn to look at him in surprise. I hadn't been expecting that. I'd been expecting him to tell me it hadn't been worth it, that _he_ wasn't worth it. Which would've been a big pile of bullshit. Even as fucked up as I felt right now, I'd kill a thousand more people, I'd completely drown myself in blood, if it meant protecting my brothers. All three of them. I'd become a literal monster if that was what it took.

Even though a part of me felt like that was what I already was, now.

"We're right here with you, and we're not going anywhere," he promised when he looked up and caught my eye. And then he did another thing I never expected from him: without an ounce of hesitation he leaned up and pressed his lips solidly to my temple. On my other side, I could feel Luffy do the same and couldn't help but let another sob escape me, especially when they both pulled back only for a familiar worn straw hat to be jammed onto my head, the brim slipping down to hide my crying eyes from view. The message was clear: My brothers were here and, monster or killer or whatever the hell else I might think I was now, they weren't going anywhere.

And still, I couldn't help but stare at the small, innocent-looking knife that lay discarded beside us, surrounded by blood soaked rags, and feel as if everything had just changed.

.

* * *

.

The nightmares started soon after, unsurprisingly.

Sometimes they were of killing, of watching as I thrust the blade into that man's neck and the blood began to pour and pour and _pour,_ until that was all there was. Sometimes I'd drive the knife into his throat only to find that I'd stabbed one of my brothers instead, and they'd look up at me with betrayal and confusion and, worst of all, _forgiveness_ as the life drained from their eyes.

Sometimes, though, they were of fire. Of miles and miles of endless flames. I'd try to find my way, calling for my brothers the entire time, knowing that they were out there somewhere. But the fire would be too big, too strong, and it would burn away at me, melting me down until nothing of me remained. There was no escape in those dreams, just flames and heat and pain.

They came frequently now, as if every trauma I'd lived through until this point had only been building up behind a wall inside my head and now they were spilling over. At least four nights a week I would jolt awake, scream on the tip of my tongue, to find tears streaming down my face and my body shaking uncontrollably. Some nights, my thrashing was enough to wake my brothers and so by the time I gasped my way into consciousness, they were there waiting, ready to hold me and comfort me until I eventually calmed down.

Singing became a frequent thing, as it was one of the only things capable of calming us in the dead of night, each of us taking turns thinking up songs. Luffy's was always _Bink's Sake_ , which surprised absolutely no one, though sometimes he sang a song about islands, too. His off-key voice combined with the ridiculous lyrics never failed to get me laughing, even if it was just weakly, which I knew was his intention all along.

When it wasn't bad, when I would wake up but was calm enough to eventually fall back asleep, it was Ace who would sing to me, his voice soft but steady. He wasn't any Elvis Presley, but he had a very soothing voice. Whenever he sang I couldn't help but feel protected, to feel extremely safe in the knowledge that my older brother was there and that he was watching over me.

Sometimes, though, I would sing instead. Thinking up songs from my past life, remembering the lyrics, was enough to get my mind out of the dark places it wandered into. Luffy was used to hearing some of them, as I'd absently sang them a lot when we were little. Most tended to be Beatles songs, as they were the ones I remembered the clearest, though there were a few others thrown in there every now and then.

On the nights my dreams didn't wake my brothers, though, I would usually untangle myself from them gently before making my way out of the tree house and to the forest floor. The first few times this happened I had simply walked, soaking in the peaceful quiet of the night. After a particularly bad night, though, I found myself back in the Grey Terminal, heading towards where the blood stain likely still remained.

As soon as I realized where I was going I stopped myself, knowing that it would do me no good in the state I was in to see the evidence of what I'd done. Instead I made my way into Edge Town using the bandit's secret entrance. From there I traversed to High Town, moving along the roofs swiftly, hiding in the shadows like I was born for it. I had come here often in the daytime, breaking into the homes of nobles and stealing their jewelry while also catching snippets of their conversations. Now, though, there would be no thrill. Everyone was sleeping and to steal from them now would quite honestly feel like cheating. So, instead I explored, going farther than I ever had before.

To say Ace was displeased when I returned in the morning would be an understatement. I'd definitely gotten an earful about being careful and not doing stupid shit at night while my brothers weren't there to help me out. I'd listened to him, nodding along and looking sheepish in all the right places. And the next night I awoke from a nightmare to find both brothers still peacefully sleeping, I wiggled my way free of our puppy pile and made my way to High Town once more.

It was during one of these trips that I found the library and, if it hadn't been in the dead of night, I likely would have shrieked in pure glee. Because this library was _massive_. It seemed to hold everything, from history books to romance novels, from adventure tales to etiquette guides. Almost everything I wanted to know about this world, waiting right here for the taking.

Knowing that engrossing myself in reading while in _enemy territory_ would be a stupid idea, even for me, I decided to limit myself to four books a night. I'd take my time picking them out and then I'd make my way home, avoiding the guards easily as I went. As long as I was there in the morning when he woke up, Ace refrained from lecturing me further, though he continued to look displeased at the growing shadows under my eyes.

When I ended up passing out during training, though, he finally drew the line.

"This has got to stop!" He yelled out after I'd woken back up, pacing the length of the clearing and running his hands through his hair in agitation. "You have to sleep, Ana!"

"You think I don't know that?" I demanded, my patience as of late practically nonexistent with how tired I was. "I've been trying!"

"Not hard enough!"

"It's not like I can control it, you asshole!"

"What are they about?" Luffy cut in from where he sat next to me. When I had opened my eyes to find myself on the ground, he'd been running his hand through my hair soothingly. Even after I'd sat up, he still hadn't moved away.

"Huh?" I asked, confused. Even Ace had stopped moving in order to stare at our brother in question.

"When I had nightmares after Shanks left, you'd always have me tell you about them. You said that it would help and it did," he explained before lifting his hand to poke me in the forehead. "You said that talking was how you got all the bad stuff out, otherwise it'd just keep rolling around in your head and it'd eat all the good stuff."

"That's... true," I finally admitted, a bit reluctantly. He had a point. But that didn't make me want to talk about it any more than I had before.

"Well, then, let's hear it," Ace commanded as he came over to plop down in front of me, hands braced against his knees and face expectant. When I continued to hesitate, he sighed at me. "Come on, Ana. What is it you're so afraid of? It's just us."

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled, knowing with certainty that if it had been him having nightmares we would've had a hell of a fight on our hands getting him to say shit about it.

"Lily." Soft as it was, Luffy's tone held the weight of command to it. I sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I see that guy. And sometimes I'm killing him and he just bleeds and bleeds. But sometimes he turns into one of you, or Sabo, and you'll just look at me in betrayal, like you're demanding how I could ever do something like that to you. But at the same time... you forgive me. I think that's what's worse. Because you would. If I ever did something like that, you'd forgive me. And I hate it."

"But you wouldn't," Ace shook his head as he regarded me like I was an idiot. "Not ever. You'd kill yourself before you'd ever hurt one of us."

"Yeah, that's a stupid dream," Luffy nodded. "Tell your brain to stop being so dumb. You're Lili, and you'd never do something like that."

I shook my head at them. "It's called an irrational fear for a reason, you know. Because there's no logic to it."

"Well, I'm telling you right now that it's stupid and that you shouldn't worry about stuff like that because it won't ever happen. And I'm the big brother, so you have to listen to me."

I scoffed at the smug look on his face, half-tempted to lunge forward and show him just who had to listen to who.

"What's the other one?" Luffy's voice cut in before I could and I turned to blink at him in shock.

"Other one?" Ace asked before turning to me, gaze full of accusation. "What other one?"

I shouldn't have been surprised. My brother was scarily perceptive when he wanted to be. "It's... I'm in a fire. And it's everywhere. And I know that I have to find you guys because you're out there in it somewhere. And so I run but I can't get anywhere because there's just heat and flames. And no matter how hard I try I can't escape them and I can't ever find you. And eventually I just burn, until there's nothing left."

Silence reigned for a moment as I fiddled with my fingers, eyes set determinedly at the ground.

"Sometimes I dream of fire, too," Ace admitted quietly, causing my head to whip up to gape at him. He wasn't looking at me, though, instead staring into the distance. "And all three of us are trapped. I can hear Sabo yelling for us on the other side, but we can't find a way to get to him. And I'll turn and you'll be gone. And then Luffy will be. And then Sabo will go quiet. And suddenly I'll be alone there and no matter how loudly I call for you guys, none of you ever answer."

"The fire always swallows Sabo and Lili up," Luffy whispered, tugging at the brim of his hat with nervous energy. "And then the bandits grab me and drag me away and leave Ace behind. And you all disappear."

I drew in a shaky breath at this revelation that it hadn't been just me. We'd all been suffering, this entire time. "We should've talked about it. When I got back, we should've talked."

They both nodded in tandem, knowing that I was right.

"We will, from now on," Ace decided. "No more hiding this stuff, especially if it's important. And if you have a bad dream, you wake someone up. You don't suffer through it alone."

His gaze was on me when he said it and I nodded reluctantly. It wasn't like nighttime was the only time I could sneak into the library. In fact, it would be much more challenging during the day. And besides, this whole not sleeping most nights thing was definitely not healthy, if today was any indication.

"No more hiding," I promised. Satisfied, Luffy let his grin stretch until it was nearly splitting his face in two, giving no warning before he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Ace and I, bringing us both to the ground in the process.

"Luffy!"

"Ouch, goddammit!"

.

* * *

.

It was soon after the issue of nightmares had been resolved and a solution worked out that Ace's narcolepsy finally reared it's ugly head. It happened during lunch, each of us shoveling food at a disgusting rate, when out of nowhere Ace just... fell.

Luffy and I, of course, proceeded to absolutely _freak the fuck out,_ having no idea what was happening and thinking that the inevitable had occurred and one of us had finally chocked to death. I'd wasted no time in rolling the older boy over, completely prepared to begin doing the Heimlich Maneuver if it was necessary, only for said boy to let out a loud snore.

Luffy had promptly burst into laughter, mocking Ace mercilessly even though he wasn't awake to hear it. I, on the other hand, became very quiet as I attempted to calm my still racing heart. I'd known about his fits, as it was pretty impossible to be a fan of his character without knowing. But I'd more or less forgotten about them, since they weren't really a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Part of me wanted to be mad, seeing as how he'd probably just scared literal years off of my life, while the rest of me knew that it wasn't really his fault. He had no control over when he fell asleep and, before now, he'd never even known it was a risk. So, instead of yelling the way I wanted to, I simply sighed and settled for a more subtle form of petty revenge.

"Hey, Lu, remember those markers we found? Go grab them."

His fit only lasted about ten minutes, plenty of time to play a game of Connect the Freckles and hide the evidence before he could see it. After he'd woken up, groggy and confused, I'd sat him up and explained what I knew, which truthfully wasn't much. Which in turn meant a trip to the library.

Breaking into the library wasn't much of a challenge at all, even in broad daylight, which was a disappointment. I even used the same window every single time and still no one noticed. Given how arrogant the nobles were, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Still, the sight of their ignorance made me just want to shake my head at them. It definitely did it's job at making any lingering guilt I may feel for my thievery melt away, that was for sure.

The trip didn't take long. In fact, the walk through Grey Terminal took longer than anything, and within no time I was back at the tree house, my brothers both seated in front of me and waiting for me to finish scanning the book I'd gotten so that I could begin explaining.

"Narcolepsy is something that's chronic, meaning it'll happen for the rest of your life. It's a brain disorder that affects sleep, causing you to have ' _attacks_ ' of uncontrollable sleepiness during the day. It could happen at any time. Symptoms of it include cataplexy, which is the loss of voluntary muscle movement, which means you could go limp or find yourself unable to move. You can also experience dream-like hallucinations while awake, and find yourself paralyzed either before falling asleep or after waking."

"This... is gonna happen a lot?" Ace asked, looking dismayed at the idea.

"Well, there's drugs that can help control it a bit, but that's honestly something better left for a doctor. Other things you could try that might help are maintaining a steady sleep schedule by going to bed and getting up everyday at the same time, avoiding drinking or eating a lot before bed, and taking multiple scheduled naps during the day at the times when you feel the most sleepy. It isn't likely to combat the problem entirely, but it might help."

A sigh was Ace's only answer to that. I honestly couldn't much blame him.

Over the next few weeks, seeing Ace just drop out of nowhere became a common occurrence. It took awhile for me to stop feeling a burst of panic at the sight, to stop worrying that something was wrong and that he wasn't just asleep. Sometimes the attacks only lasted seconds, other times they could last up to fifteen minutes. It began to become second nature for Lu and I to keep an eye on him during mealtimes, just to make sure he didn't drown in stew or choke or something.

It also became second nature to carry a marker on us at all times. It was probably really mean, I could admit that, but this was a chance I just couldn't pass up. Besides, hearing Luffy's delighted giggles as we drew shapes on our unconscious brother's face was definitely worth it.

Ace, unsurprisingly, was definitely _not_ a fan of Connect the Freckles. It took him a hilariously long time to even realize we were doing it, as often times he'd awake from an attack only to continue talking where he'd left off, sometimes not even seeming to realize that time had passed. It wasn't until a thug he was trying to intimidate simply pointed at his face and snickered that he began to get suspicious, because after all this time that was not the reaction he was used to getting in the trash heap.

"Uh, Ace..." I couldn't help but snort out a laugh myself when he turned to face me, eyes narrowed in suspicion and inked purple hearts covering his cheeks. Luffy wasn't even trying to hide his peals of laughter as he beat down a couple of guys behind us.

"What's on my face?" He demanded.

"Well... About that..."

"Liliana, I swear to god, what. Is on. My face." Ah, he'd gone monosyllabic, and he'd used my full name, too, that probably wasn't good.

"I thought you were supposed to be a demon or somethin'!" The idiot with no self-preservation in front of us choked out, tears of mirth in his eyes as he continued to point. "You just look like a girly little pansy covered in hearts!"

He soon found himself on the receiving end of my own deathglare. Before he could open his mouth again to utter more nonsense, Ace and I had both punched him in the face, sending him flying. My older brother didn't even bother to wait to see where the guy landed, his eyes zeroing right back in on me.

"Ana," his voice was forcefully pleasant, causing a shiver to crawl up my spine in response. "I'd suggest that you and Luffy start running now."

Yeah, Connect the Freckles became much more hazardous to our health after that. But, hey, I'd always loved a challenge.

* * *

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 **A/N: Ahahaha... ha? Yeah. Yeah, that just happened.**

 **I'd had it planned for awhile that I wanted it to happen before Ace left. But I also didn't want Lily to be too young when it did, hence the time skip. Which would've been necessary anyway. I want to show more of their lives during this time than the manga did but that's still seven years before Ace leaves, ten before the beginning of canon. That's a long, long time. So, time skips were bound to happen. Sorry if any of you are disappointed.**

 **Some of you might be wondering why she went for the throat, as opposed to a bigger target like the chest or abdomen. But with the way Lily's fighting style is, she more or less always goes for the throat. You have to remember that she's pretty tiny and, more than that, she's not as strong as Ace or even Luffy, at least physically. I mean, that doesn't mean she's not still capable of all-out brawling if she wants to. But most times, in order to bring her opponent down quickly, she goes for their neck or head and then uses her own weight and momentum in order to drag them down. So, going for the throat really is second nature for her. Add a knife and blind rage into that equation? And, yeah, someone's likely to end up dead, even if that wasn't what she'd been meaning to happen.**

 **I've never really seen them deal with trauma? I mean, besides Luffy after Marineford, it's never really seemed to happen, which just didn't make sense. With everything they've been through, they should all be big bundles of PTSD, honestly. And while I'm not going to make that a defining feature, it it going to rear it's head every now and then. Which means angst, yes, but it also means tons of fluff. So, there's that.**

 **Can you believe that I almost forgot about Ace's narcolepsy? Yeah, I'm ashamed of myself too. I'm not really sure how old he actually was when it popped up, or if he was even still on Dawn Island when it did. But I do know that it usually presents itself between the ages of 7 to 25. So, I more or less just went for it. Also, I do not personally suffer from it, nor do I know anyone who does, so I apologize if I've portrayed anything wrong.**

 **I've been getting a lot of varying opinions in regards to Lily getting a Devil Fruit. It's not set in stone that she _will,_ in fact, get one. Like I said, that is far off in the future. If she does, it will be after they've entered the Grand Line but likely before they reach Alabasta. So, we've got the entirety of the East Blue to get through first. **

**The healing Fruit I have in mind is NOT like Mansherry's, for those who were concerned. It would be called either Naoru Naoru no Mi or Iyashi Iyashi no Mi (Again, I do not speak Japanese. These were two translations that seemed to fit but if you have any that are better, or if they're wrong, just let me know). The Fruit I have in mind would be a Paramecia type and, like how Luffy's makes his whole body rubber, would make it so that Lily's entire body would heal near instantly, depending on the gravity of the wound. I might also make it so that she can take a person's damage onto herself, but she wouldn't do so unless the wound is truly bad, as forcing a normal person's body to heal that quickly could be more harmful than helpful. I've had the idea for this Fruit in my head for a long time before I ever even started this story.**

 **But like I said, it's not a done deal that Lily will have one or that it will be this Fruit. I'm taking all of your suggestions into consideration, here, so feel free to let me know what you think, or to give me other options if you have any in mind.**

 **To ApplePieJustCuzILove'Em, if she does end up with the Fox Fruit, I honestly haven't decided how big she'll be. Foxes aren't generally all that big to begin with. I'm thinking to start off with her at the size of a kit and, the stronger or better she gets at using her Fruit, the bigger she'll become? Maybe? Also, yes, I am definitely guilty of sneaking puns into everything I do. Most of the time they'll be Lily's fault, as she consequently tends to have the same ridiculous sense of humor that I do.**

 **OreoNinja: I ended up stealing one of your ideas for the next chapter (and credited you for it, I promise!) because I just instantly fell in love with it, so look forward to that! As for your Fruit idea, that's definitely a good one and I'll be keeping it in mind! One thing I love about Devil Fruits is how even the most stupid sounding ones can be used to great effect, depending on that person's creativity with it. And yeah, the puppy piles are definitely a favorite of mine and they'll continue for as long as I can get away with it. Who know, maybe the crew will even find themselves dragged into them, unwillingly or not? Hahaha**

 **pokeloon15: I'll probably be doing it all in one fic. Once they enter the New World, I might break it off into a sequel instead, but the entirety of the first half of Grand Line will be in this one fic.**

 **Catflower Queen: I hadn't even realized that I'd done that, made Ace and Sabo's nickname for her so close to what Ace's name might have been! Haha that makes it all the more special, I guess, even if he doesn't know it. Also, thank you for all the awesome reviews!**

 **athenaincarnate: It's always been my headcanon that Luffy gave Ace his hat as well, since he's seen wearing it when he sets sail. And hey, we finally got to hear from Sabo! Haha Also, I'm sorry there hasn't been much of Garp just yet. I'm hoping to include him more, if not next chapter with Ace then definitely the one after with Lily and Luffy. We'll see how it goes!**

 **I might not be able to answer every review personally, depending on how much time I have, but I will always try to answer your questions. And I am always grateful for every review I get. Reading them makes my day and honestly makes me want to write more so that I can get the next chapter to you as soon as possible. So, thank you so much to all of you! The fact that this story has almost 120 reviews just blows my mind! I'm in awe of how amazing you all are!**

 **Next chapter will finally have Ace beginning his haki training! I've read a bunch of different training methods, as well as thought up some of my own, but if you have any ideas for exercises to train with, I'd be grateful for them!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and please favorite, follow or review and let me know what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Trigger warning for discussion on the dangers of sexual assault. But none happens or is even hinted at happening. Though the proposition of a thirteen-year-old _does_ happen, and is quickly and violently shot down. **

**.**

* * *

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As promised, the haki training started a month and a half after Ace's fifteenth birthday.

Gramps had forbidden Luffy and I from participating in anything more than the meditation we'd already been doing for years now. But he allowed us to watch and observe just what it was Ace had to do so that we might have an easier time of it when it was our turn. Watching from the sidelines as the old man swung a large stick at our blindfolded older brother, I couldn't help but feel a bit grateful that we still had a while to go, yet.

" _Ouch_ , goddammit!" Ace yelled for what felt like the millionth time, bending over as he clutched at his clearly aching head. "How the hell is this supposed to help me, anyway? How do I know you're not just doing this as a joke?"

"You ungrateful brat!"

It took awhile after that for the lesson to get back on track, and by the time it had Ace was severely more bruised and much less willing to complain. I sat myself a few feet in front of him, Luffy at my side, just far enough that we wouldn't be in the way but close enough that he could listen to me.

"Observation haki is the ability to sense a person's _presence_ , or _spirit_ or _voice_ , depending on who you ask." We all pretty much knew this from when I'd explained it to them before. But it had been awhile and going over it again now could only help. "It gives one the ability to sense where an attack will come from or what that attack may be. It can also help you to detect where someone may be or how many beings could be in a single area. The stronger you get, the wider the range, and the more precise you become."

"Yeah, yeah," Ace grumbled, shoulders hunched up around his ears as he tried to brace for the attack he couldn't see coming. "I know all that. It still doesn't explain how the hell this is supposed to help me."

"Well, you don't want to get hit, do you?" I asked dryly. Even with half his face covered, I could still tell that Ace was glaring at me. "I'm being serious, though. Not wanting to get hit is kind of the point. Eventually that desire is gonna open a sort of gate in your mind, like synapses connecting when you're learning to crawl as an infant. Once that happens, you should be able to start predicting where the hit is coming from. Slowly maybe, at first, but the more you train the better you'll get at it."

Before I could say more, Gramps decided he'd let Ace stew in anticipation long enough and swung at him from the right, sending him skidding a few feet before he landed in a heap, another giant knot forming on his head.

"Shishishi that one looked like it hurt!" Luffy crowed from beside me, legs crossed and hands braced against his ankles as a large grin split his face. He was definitely enjoying this.

"Shut up," Ace groaned in response, even as he continued to twitch on the ground. It took a minute, but he was finally able to drag himself back over to sit where he'd started, blindfold still firmly in place as he awaited the next hit. "Alright, I think I get it. Kind of, at least. Your explanation is way better than this shitty geezer's."

And there he went, soaring across the field again. That hit had definitely been harder than the last. I gave Gramps a disapproving stare that was promptly laughed at before sighing at Ace's pitiful form. "You know, you really shouldn't be antagonizing the guy who's job it is to beat you up right now."

"Antagonize?" Luffy asked.

"Make mad," I answered patiently before turning back to our older brother, who was in the process of dragging himself back over to us once more. "Though, I guess this does help in the second form of training, for Armament."

"How?" Ace groaned, pulling himself up until he sat cross-legged once more.

"Well, the training for that is to basically be hit by something until you can protect yourself against it, using haki. Armament is a form of haki that can make a sort of barrier, or armor, around you to protect from attacks. Using Hardening, you can also imbue limbs or objects with it as well. It also allows you to be able to harm Logia or Paramecia type Devil Fruits, which is how Gramps is able to hurt Luffy even though he's made of rubber."

"Which is cheating," Lu grumbled with a pout, which I promptly ignored.

"This type of haki isn't all willpower, though. It's more like half-mental, half-physical, which is why your body needs to be trained just as harshly. So, really, this training now is two-fold."

"You sure seem to know your stuff," Gramps commented after he'd taken another swing.

I shrugged, even as I glanced towards Ace's groaning form to be sure he wasn't broken just yet. Seeing our Gramps' attention had switched to me instead, Luffy took this time to scuttle over to our older brother to begin poking him incessantly on the cheek, all while asking if he was still alive. "There was a lot of information in the book I have. The rest was just guessing, but it seemed pretty straightforward."

"It might seem that way, but training haki isn't as easy as all that," he warned me seriously. "I've seen strong men train for years and not make much progress."

"That's fine," I admitted. "They weren't us. There's no way it'll take that long for us to learn, as long as we give it our all."

Gramps stared me down for a good minute before throwing his head back and laughing. "That's the spirit! I'll make fine marines out of you, yet!"

It wasn't like I was lying, either. I knew that Luffy had been able to learn in under two years, before. I wasn't sure if that would be the case this time around, as he would be both younger and less desperate to learn. But even if he wasn't able to master it as quickly I was still confident that he'd be able to at least grasp the basics before we set sail.

As for myself, I had less confidence and more determination. I _would_ learn it. There was no other option. Even if it took all the way until the end of the first half of the Grand Line, I'd master it, no matter what.

"Alright, you brat! Enough resting! Back to work!"

...I was definitely fine with waiting a bit longer to start, though.

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* * *

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For our twelfth birthday, Ace got me a spike strip to incorporate into my braid.

This was mainly due to an argument we'd had a few weeks prier, when one of the thugs we'd been fighting against had gotten a good grip on my hair. He'd proceeded to place his gun to my temple, holding my braid up so that I'd been forced to stand on my tippy-toes, lest it be ripped out. He'd then demanded that my brothers lay down their weapons and hand over any valuables they may have had with them. Faces blank masks of rage, they'd done just that.

Of course, then I'd taken the guy's preoccupation in order to counterattack - read: elbow him straight in the dick - and when he'd dropped to his knees with a high pitched squeal, releasing his hold on me in the process, I'd pivoted on my foot and kicked him in the face. He'd gone flying instantly, a trail of blood from his now broken nose flowing in the air behind him. His mates had scattered like roaches at the sight of my glare.

Afterwards, Ace had been adamant that I needed a haircut. And it wasn't that I didn't see his point, because I did. Until I was good enough for it not to be, my long hair was a liability. It was a handhold that an enemy wouldn't hesitate to make use of, especially once we set sail. And the next guy might not be so easy to take down. And what would I do if that happened?

I stayed firm, though. Maybe it was stupid - no, scratch that, it was definitely stupid. But my hair was one of the few things I could openly admit to being vain about. It was irrational, in this world of pirates and monsters and danger, but I loved my hair. Loved how soft it was, loved how long it was. If I had my way, it would be loose all the time, but even I had enough sense to at the very least contain it in a braid.

This, apparently, was Ace's way of compromising. Something that definitely had me filling up with warmth and affection for him.

It was nothing more than a thin, flexible strip of metal that had various spikes protruding from it, almost like thorns on a flower stem. All I had to do was clip it to some of my hair at the root and then braid it in amongst the rest. Once I was done, it was pretty much undetectable. At least until someone tried to make a grab for me and found their hand stabbed and sliced through instead.

The fact that he'd taken the time to find such a thing for me, had conceded defeat on this issue even when I knew he thought it was stupid, had me hugging him tightly even as he tried to wriggle his way out of my grip. No way was he getting out of this without some love, and he could just stand there and take it, dammit!

Luffy had been equally ecstatic over the hastily drawn ' _coupon_ ' that proclaimed that Ace would catch him _four whole crocodiles_ for dinner later and had proceeded to glomp the ever-living daylights out of him, consequently taking me down with them. When Ace did nothing but lay there, I'd been about to making a teasing comment before a loud snore cut me off, which was quickly followed by my twin's giggling laughter.

I sighed, though I couldn't quite hide my own amusement. "Lu, get the markers."

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* * *

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To continue his haki training even after Gramps was no longer there - Garp was a high-ranking Marine, after all, and a highly requested one at that; a month, two at most, was really all he was able to finagle - Ace began to fight each of his daily one hundred matches while blindfolded.

At first it was great. For the first time in the history of _ever_ , Luffy and I were actually beating our older brother. Consecutively. And let me tell you, the feeling of taking him down, of standing over him while he groaned on the ground, knowing that it was you who'd felled this unbeatable force when it was only Garp who could do it previously... Yeah, that feeling was amazing. Even if it wasn't completely accurate, since he was fighting with a severe handicap right now.

And afterwards, he'd plop down on the ground, crossing his legs beneath him in the process, and he'd sit there as stock-still as he could make himself as Lu and I bashed him with sticks. This part I did feel bad about, especially when I saw the bruises in the aftermath, but he continued to remain adamant. When I continued to cringe and apologize, he simply patted my head, giving me one of his cocky smirks despite the harsh purple that was quickly spreading on his cheek, and reminded me that we were the only ones he'd ever trust to do this, besides Gramps and Sabo. Hearing that had warmed me, calming me down enough to get the job done, even if guilt continued to simmer low in my gut.

I had no idea how I'd be able to handle this when it was Luffy's turn, rubber body or not, and by the looks I'd find him frequently directing my way, he was thinking the same.

It took a few months, as I'd already been expecting. Slowly but surely, though, Ace was showing improvements. At first it was just a dodged hit here and there, which could've been no more than a fluke. But then he was dodging multiple hits a match and then, soon enough, he was dodging all of them. It was fascinating to watch as Luffy sent punch after punch at our older brother and he just swiveled back and forth, adding a turn into the mix every now and then. He almost looked like he was drunkenly swaying.

While it may have looked effortless, though, I could still see the way his brows were furrowed in concentration. If I were to throw something at him now, he wouldn't see it coming, attention so solidly on our brother as it was. In fact, that actually gave me an idea...

" _Ow_! What the fuck?!" Ace yelped as he halted, tearing off his blindfold in order to scowl at me more efficiently. "Did you just throw a _rock_ at me?"

"It's for training," I informed him, hands folded innocently behind my back as I batted large doe eyes at him. He stared back, unimpressed.

"That look hasn't worked on me since you were eight."

"That's not true. Just last week I got you to hand over that chocolate bar you swiped, just by using this look."

"Whatever," he grumbled, face turning pink at the reminder. _He really was such a push-over when it came to Lu and I_ , I thought fondly. "Why is throwing rocks at my face considered for training?"

"You're dodging all of Luffy's hits, but to do it you're concentrating solely on him. That's why you didn't see my attack coming, which isn't going to work in an actual battle. You've got to learn to multitask, to be able to sense and keep track of multiple targets at a time. And you never know when one of those targets will be a sniper, or will have a gun. Best to be prepared for it, since you can only sense the person and not the bullet. You'll have to learn to estimate the path." And then I shrugged. "Plus, it was pretty funny."

"Shishishi, it was! Ace squawked really loudly, like a chicken!"

Ace's only response to this was to groan, but I could see on his face that he understood my point. And so from then on it was incorporated into his training. While one of us fought against him, the other would circle around our makeshift arena, throwing stones as they went. This also meant that Luffy got even more help with his aiming, since the first few times he tried to get Ace he ended up hitting me instead. In the face. _Multiple times._

By the time Gramps showed up in July - extremely late for our birthday, but I wasn't about to hold it against him - Ace was able to dodge both of us with ease, even when we attacked at the same time.

I'd never seen the old man look more proud in his life as he swept us all up into a back-breaking hug. No, really, I'm pretty sure I felt more than a few of my vertebrae shift alarmingly.

When he set us back down we all fell into a limp pile on the ground. Even Luffy, who was cringing in the way only someone who hadn't had to deal with aching bones in five years would.

"Are you trying to actually kill us?!" Ace demanded once he'd got his bearings back again. I could only nod weakly in agreement to his accusation as I tried to arch my back out on the ground, ignoring the pull of scar tissue with practiced ease.

"My precious grandchildren have been working so hard!" Gramps bellowed as he wiped away tears of pride, either not hearing the near-hostile tone or completely ignoring it. With him it was always so hard to tell. And then he was sweeping Ace up once more, rubbing his bearded face against the older boy's head. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Get off of me, you shitty lunatic! What do you think I am, a five-year-old? Put me down!"

It took awhile, but eventually we found ourselves seated around a bonfire, a giant warthog and three massive pythons roasting away for lunch. Ace sat at my side, as far away from Garp as he could get, red-faced and sulking. Despite his best efforts, his hair was still in dissaray, and it took everything in me not to snicker at the sight. Luffy, situated on my other side, wasn't even trying to hide his laughter.

"I have to admit, I'm shocked that you'd grasp Observation so quickly!" Gramps bellowed from around the fire on Luffy's other side, completely oblivious to the murderous look he was currently on the receiving end of. "I was sure it'd be Armament, for you!"

He had a point, too. From what I could tell, each person had a specific type of haki that they were more adept in, which only made sense. And that type of haki would be easier to learn. Conversely, grasping the other types would be made that much harder.

Ace had always been a strong fighter, so I could see how the expectation for Armament to be his niche would be there. But, honestly, I wasn't all that surprised that it had been observation instead. Because, yeah, he was a strong fighter, always had been. But he was also a protector now. He was a big brother, our _watcher_ , so to speak. Especially after what had happened before, when he hadn't been properly paying attention and I'd... Well.

Suffice it to say that he'd made it his mission to keep a better eye on things ever since. And something that he felt that strongly about, it became a part of him. If I was asked by a stranger to describe Ace, one of the first things that would pop into my head would be _protector_ , would be _the one who watches over us, watches out for us_. It was just who he was, now.

So, yeah, the fact that he'd grasped Observation so quickly wasn't quite as surprising to me as it maybe should have been.

"And your Conqueror's?" Gramps asked, picking up a stick that held one of the snakes one-handed with no visible effort at all, even though it had to weigh about three-hundred pounds, it was so big. The old man looked dwarfed next to it's massive size and yet I still knew he'd be able to eat the entire thing. And would likely still be hungry afterwards. The other two snakes had been cut up into more manageable portions, though I hesitated to call them child-size, seeing as they were each still bigger than my torso.

"I can tame most of the animals in the jungle," Ace reported, though he looked reluctant. Really, that boy could hold a grudge like no other when he wanted to. "I can't get the bigger ones yet. And the Beast of Mt Colubo is still out of the question."

He was pouting while he said it, clearly upset with his self-perceived short-comings. Especially since, working together with Sabo, we'd been able to beat the giant tiger quite awhile ago. To go against it now and _lose_ was clearly chafing at his pride, nevermind the fact that he was doing it alone and with only willpower as his weapon.

Gramps, on the other hand, looked satisfied with his progress, even if it only showed in his wide grin and gleaming eyes. "That just means you need to work harder, brat! But don't you worry, I got an entire month off this time! From sun up to sun down, you three better be prepared to be run into the ground!"

We all cringed, shuddering. We knew from experience that, to Gramps, that wasn't just a turn of phrase.

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* * *

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I took the time that Ace was training his Conqueror's Haki to work on my knife-wielding skills. I was still using the wooden carving my older brothers had given me so long ago, having yet to unearth my Jambiya from where I'd buried it.

I hadn't been able to train this skill as much as I would've liked, a fact that I was ashamed of. Between working on my fighting prowess and incorporating moves into it, while also keeping sharp with the thieving and sneaking skills I'd picked up over the years, not to mention all the time spent helping my brothers with their own skills, I was never quite able to find an opportunity to. It might have felt like I had all the time in the world to get strong here, in this relatively quiet jungle, but I knew that was far from the truth. Ace had barely a year and a half before he set sail and, after that, it would only be three more years before Luffy and I did the same.

For awhile I hadn't even been able to look at a knife, let alone touch one. The blade I'd used to unintentionally end a life had found a place amongst my belongings, hidden away but always there. I kept it as a reminder that this wasn't a game and that people could easily die if I wasn't careful. I had to be ready, I had to know what I was doing before ever laying a hand on live steel again.

And so I made myself make time, going through kata after kata, trying to find the best way to most comfortably incorporate a dagger into my fighting style. I'd tried the library first, of course, but it wasn't all that surprising when I was met with nothing but dead ends. Who in High Town would need to know how to fight with knives anyway? The thought itself was preposterous, given how incurably arrogant the lot of them were. If any of them were to wish to learn on a mere whim, they'd need to do nothing more than say the word and they'd likely find themselves surrounded by the best tutors in the world, no books necessary.

When walking through Grey Terminal every day, I sometimes forgot just how rich Goa Kingdom actually was, despite the amount of jewels I snagged from them on a weekly basis. The amount of true fuss they had still yet to kick up at my actions just proved it further. The amount I was taking was nothing but an annoyance to them, a reason to whine to their equally rich friends. I knew that, certainly, if they caught me there would be hell to pay for daring to cross them. But until that time, it wasn't even worth their worry.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the flare of rage that always surfaced when I thought of the nobles, I forced myself to once again focus on the task at hand, holding the wooden hilt of my carved Jambiya in a reverse-grip, something I found matched much better with my flowing movements. My fighting style was more grace than brute strength, the way my brother's styles were. I was smaller and, as loath as I was to admit it, weaker, just by virtue of being a girl. But that didn't mean I couldn't work around it, couldn't still bring my enemies down _hard_ if I so wished, it just meant I had to get creative with doing so.

My punches and kicks definitely weren't anything to scoff at and, against weaker opponents like those found in Edge Town, they were more than enough to bring down my foes. But they wouldn't be enough against those who were stronger. They weren't even enough against my brothers. And so I had to work harder, had to push myself further, refining my style as well as I could.

And so I used my slight weight and small frame to as much of an advantage as I could. My size may have meant that strength wasn't something I could depend on against powerful opponents, but it did mean that speed was. And I was quick, make no doubt about it. Especially while training with Gramps, I was able to hone that speed in order to dodge fluidly around strikes, bending and contorting my flexible body this way and that. It had been difficult at first, my scar not wanting to give way to any kind of movement, but after enough time spent doing nothing but stretching into increasingly ridiculous positions, it had eventually acquiescenced, as Cala had assured me that it would.

Of course, I couldn't just dodge for the rest of my life. It was a good way to whittle away at someone's strength but it wouldn't be enough. And so, using my speed once more to my advantage, I taught myself when best to lunge forward, how to strike firmly in order to incur the most damage. My limbs were swift, snake-like, as I aimed for vitals. I spent days and days looking over medical texts and graphs, mapping out the human body. A solid hit to the solar plexus could fell even the biggest of men, but most knew to guard well against such an attack. But that wasn't the only viable target. There were clusters of nerves all over the body where you wouldn't even know to look for them. And so many veins and arteries, so many easy targets for a blade. I had to make sure I knew where they all were. I had to make sure that I never nicked one unless it was on purpose.

I refused to ever be the cause of such an accidental, _wasteful_ death again.

On our trips down to Foosha, I managed to rope Makino into helping me sew together dummies, knowing that wood or not there was no way I'd be able to train against my brothers while wielding a blade. She'd been all too happy to help and, soon, our training field was littered with the straw-filled things. We'd begun hanging targets up as well, even going so far as to tie vines in intricate patterns so that they'd pull on each other, resulting in a cascade of moving targets, all so that Luffy could learn better aim with his stretching fists.

It really did look like an official training field now, even if it was still just a tiny clearing in the middle of the jungle.

Gramps approved whole-heartedly in our training regimens, proving it in the way he continued to push us further and further when he fought against us. The day would usually start with a melee, him beckoning each of us to attack at once. We'd grown up together, knew how to fight in tandem with each other, but even still it helped. We'd be on crews, soon, fighting alongside people we didn't yet know, with fighting styles we didn't recognize. We had to be used to fighting in teams, if only to best avoid accidents in the future. After we were sufficiently beaten, haki training came next, starting with Armament and Observation.

Even though he'd gotten a good grip on it, Gramps refused to let Ace grow complacent in his abilities with Observation, which I approved of. Ace understood, too, and was more than willing to gain more experience with it, even if he grumbled the entire time. Luffy and I often sat on the sidelines to observe, sometimes throwing things or kicking out at our older brother unexpectedly to keep him on his toes. Every attack we managed to land was announced by Garp's booming laughter, followed by the thud of a landed Fist of Love in reproach for Ace's carelessness.

After lunch was when Gramps would drag Ace into the forest for Conqueror's Haki training. He'd made a rule from the very beginning that, during this time, beasts could only be brought down through willpower. No fists or weapons or any of that. If he couldn't beat it with his haki, he was to run. Ace had looked decidedly unhappy with this decree but had agreed nonetheless. I knew Dadan had likely informed the older man of Ace's continued refusal to back down from a fight, even if he was outmatched, and so he probably knew just what it was he was demanding of the boy.

I had to give it to him, Garp might seem like an air-headed, oblivious idiot most of the time - and he likely was - but that didn't mean he was _stupid_. Just like Luffy, he had a hidden intelligence that most missed. He was observant, even if it didn't seem like it most of the time. You didn't make it to his age while being a high-ranking officer in the marines on strength alone, after all.

It wasn't until he caught sight of my blade training and offered up advice that I realized just how far his hidden knowledge really went.

"Your feet should be more spread apart. And pivot more at the hips, otherwise your blow will lack strength."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. When my brothers and I continued to do nothing but gape, he threw back his head and laughed at our faces.

"Weapons Handling is a part of Basic Training for any recruit. And I've defeated many a knife-wielding scoundrel in my years!"

And, well, it wasn't like I was going to pass up on opportunity like that. Master he might not have been, but he was definitely the best thing I was likely to find anytime soon.

Even if I felt like I'd finally lost what was left of my mind for asking Gramps for even _more_ training.

.

* * *

.

In September, Dadan asked me if I wanted to move back into the bandit's hut. My answer had been a blank stare.

"It's just that, well..." She'd rubbed at her head, causing her already frizzy orange hair to poof out even further. "Your body is gonna start changing a lot soon, you see, and living in that single room tree house with two boys might not be the best idea."

"Oh god," I uttered, face paling, "you're not about to give me The Talk, are you?"

"It's important!" Dadan hissed at me, though she looked like she wanted to be there even less than I did. "I know how much you hate being singled out for your gender, but like it or not you're a girl! Which means it's different for you than it is for Ace and Luffy!"

"I know that!" I insisted, a bit desperately.

"Do you?!"

"Yes! I go to the library all the time, you think I wouldn't have read a few medical texts while I was there?" I demanded, though that wasn't quite the truth. I'd read medical texts while I was there, yeah, but not anything about puberty. I'd already been through it once, thanks, and there wasn't much I wasn't already expecting and dreading this second time around.

"It's more than that, though," Dadan huffed, lighting a cigarette as she plopped down onto the floor. Reluctantly, I did the same, realizing that I really wasn't going to get out of this conversation. Best to just get it over with. "Even if you read up on it and have an idea of what to expect, that doesn't mean you're prepared. And besides, that doesn't even begin to cover the dangers you're bound to face."

"Dangers?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yes, _dangers_ , you brat! You're gonna become a pirate, right?" She demanded, waiting until I nodded to continue. "Well, a pirate's life ain't an easy one. Hell, it's even more difficult that a bandit's. You're bound to face a lot of strong and horrible people. And some of those people are gonna look at you and see nothing more than a pretty girl."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "I already know that. That's why I'm training to get strong in the first place."

"Train all you like but there's always bound to be someone stronger than you. Don't get arrogant and forget that."

I lowered my gaze, contrite. She wasn't wrong.

"Some of those people won't have good intentions. In fact, a _lot_ of those people won't. This life is far more dangerous for a girl than it could ever be for a man. Because most men in this world view women as good for only one thing: sex. And sometimes they'll take it from you, willingly or not."

I gulped. It wasn't like sexual assault was something I'd never heard of, or even ever thought of. But it had always been something abstract to me. It had been a vague worry in the back of my head, when I'd been around a group of men I didn't know or when I'd had to walk somewhere alone in the dark. But so far in this world, it hadn't come up, even surrounded by the scourge of society as I so often was. I knew it was mainly because of my age, but still. I had to admit that in this life, I hadn't put much thought into it at all.

But Dadan definitely had a point. I'd seen for myself how full of wretched people this world really was. Had seen more than a few adversaries proposition Nami or Robin or any number of the other beautiful women that filled the series. Even most of their allies had been perverts. And even if it had never been an issue for me before, even if it never became an issue for me in the future, it was still definitely something I had to keep in mind.

Dadan sighed, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I plan on giving this talk to Ace and Luffy as well. Just because they're boys doesn't mean there's no danger for them, too. But I figured you'd rather I talk to you about it alone first. I didn't want you to feel pressured to stay there just 'cus they're your brothers."

I shook my head, getting back on track, and gifted her with a grateful smile. "Thank you, really. But I'm going to stay with them. I promise it won't be an issue, and if I have to I'll get a privacy screen or something. But even as clingy and unobservant as Luffy tends to be, they both know to give me my space every now and then, just like we do for Ace. It'll be fine."

Dadan looked dubious at best. "If you're sure..."

"I am."

"Well, the offer stands either way."

"Thank you." I took a deep breath. "And hey, you can talk to Ace and Lu if you want but... leave out the bits about me, alright? About the threat it poses for me."

"I really don't -"

"I'll tell them," I assured, cutting off her protest. "But in this instance, I really think it'd be better if they heard it from me. I'm pretty sure it's gonna send Ace into a protective rage and you probably don't want to get caught up in all that."

"Ah, yeah..." Dadan nodded, going pale at the very thought. "We just got the damn wall fixed from Garp's last visit. We really don't need more holes in the place."

And so I waited for the day that Ace and Luffy both returned to the tree fort, Ace red-faced and Lu just looking extremely confused, before broaching the subject.

"So... Dadan talked to you both." I stated. Ace cringed.

"That is an experience I never want to speak of again," he said firmly. I sympathized whole-heartedly but still couldn't quite stop myself from laughing at the look on his face.

"She was saying a lot of weird things," Luffy told me, brows furrowed. "I didn't really understand a lot of it. Why would I want to -"

"Aaaaand, that's enough of that," Ace decided, shoving his hand over Luffy's mouth and then making a face when the younger boy retaliated by licking his palm.

"Well, there's a bit more to it," I informed them, ignoring the way Ace groaned at me. "You see, there's actually quite a lot of... dangers, because of it."

"Dadan already told us about those," Ace insisted near-desperately, face growing more and more red as the conversation progressed.

"Yeah, about those TD things. They sounded pretty gross."

"STDs," I corrected almost absently. "And that's not what I was talking about, although those are dangerous. What I meant was more... of the assault variety."

Ace stiffened immediately, face becoming carefully blank. That probably wasn't a good sign for how this was about to go. "What?"

"There's a lot of people in this world who love sex," I began to explain. "And some of them aren't all that picky about whether or not it's consensual. Those people have no problem at all forcing themselves onto others. It's more of a danger for girls but that doesn't mean it doesn't also happen to guys."

When Luffy continued to stare at me uncomprehendingly, I sighed. "It's like they're... taking something from you. Stealing it, and hurting you really badly in the process. It's not like just getting beaten up, it's far worse than that. And for girls, especially girl pirates... it's a very real danger. We're gonna be fighting a lot of people in the future and some of them may try to... Well." I gestured to myself, hoping that they got the jist.

And if the darkening of their eyes was any indication, get the jist they did. "Like we'd ever let that happen! If someone so much as tries I'll kill 'em!"

"That's right!" Luffy agreed instantly, looking far angrier than I was used to seeing him. "What's Lili's is Lili's and no one else has a right to take it!"

"I'm going to continue getting stronger so that it'll hopefully never be an issue," I assured them. "But like Dadan said, there's always the chance that someone will be stronger, no matter how much I train. And you guys have to be aware, too, so that we can watch each other's backs."

"Just like we always do!" Luffy yelled.

"Right," Ace nodded, expression murderous. He looked mere moments away from storming out to kill every single man in Goa, before they even had a chance to _try_ anything with me. As much as his protectiveness filled me with warmth I was glad that he refrained. I could fight my own battles, thank you very much. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on and be sure to keep a look out."

"As long as we watch out for each other," I grinned at them, "we'll be just fine."

.

* * *

.

It took until Luffy and I were thirteen before it actually became an issue.

At this point, Ace was sitting out most of our fights unless we were going up against the stronger beasts of the forest. He was getting really good at using his haki and, against the thugs of Grey Terminal and Edge Town at least, he was definitely overkill. Even Lu and I didn't have much of a problem against them, using our fights with them mostly as a workout, but at least we couldn't tell where they'd attack us with our eyes closed. Yet, anyway.

It was in the middle of one such fight when the guy I was facing leered at me with a gap-toothed grin, beady eyes roving up and down my body slowly before he said the dreaded words.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing with these bunch of kids anyway? You'd have a much better time hangin' out with some real men, dollface."

All action seemed to halt as the temperature dropped nearly ten degrees.

In the last year I'd developed pretty quickly, it was true. Much quicker than I ever had in my last life, which at first had made training a living hell of uncoordinated limbs and overbalancing thanks to the gigantic weight that was now stuck to my chest. But even then, I was very obviously still a young kid. I couldn't help but shudder in disgust at the man before me, not quite wanting to believe that he'd just said that to a child.

" _Excuse me_?" My older brother demanded, suddenly standing in front of me. I blinked, only to find Luffy now at my side, glare directed solidly at the idiot before us. A quick glance around confirmed that the rest were now on the ground unconscious, though whether that was because of Luffy or because of Ace's haki, I wasn't sure. "Did I really just hear you _proposition_ my _little sister_?"

The guy paled, finally seeming to realize the mistake he'd made, though far too late. It blew my mind that even now there were still idiots around who thought they stood any chance at all against us. We'd been beating guys like this for years, for god's sake, and by now it was pretty much child's play. This guy had literally no idea that he'd just poked a figurative mama bear with a very large stick.

The mama bear in this situation being Ace, obviously. Which was really just unfortunate for the guy.

Ace didn't even have to put his full strength into his punch and the creep was down for the count, bleeding into the ground next to the rest of his gang. By the frustrated grimace on my older brother's face, he was clearly disappointed that the guy had gone down so quickly. He'd probably had an entire beatdown planned but, pissed or not, he wasn't about to attack someone who was already defeated. I scoffed, having no such compunctions, and made sure to kick the sick bastard in the face as we went by, hearing a satisfying crunch as I did so.

"I'm not your fuckin' _dollface_ , asshole," I grumbled at him before aiming a kick at the back of Ace's knee for good measure, causing him to yelp as he nearly fell to the ground. "And I could've dealt with him myself! You didn't have to rush in and beat him up for me!"

"I know that!" He yelled back, taking a definite step away from me when I continued to scowl at him. Luffy just laughed at the both of us, looking completely content with the world once again, now that the target of his ire was eating dirt. "But I couldn't just _not_ punch him after that! It's my job as your older brother, and I won't be able to do it for much longer! Let me have my moments, dammit!"

I sighed, annoyed. There wasn't much I could say in the face of that argument. Time was quickly counting down before Ace turned seventeen and subsequently left on his voyage, setting sail for the Grand Line and his future. So, instead, I just grumbled at him. "Yeah, yeah. But we still have a couple of months yet before you leave, so don't get too spoiled or your big brother complex may never recover from our absence."

"What was that, you little shit?! I do _not_ have a brother complex!"

"Shishishi! Run, Lili, run!"

.

* * *

.

One of the few peaceful downtime activities we were able to partake in was reading. Or, more accurately, I would read while Ace and Luffy both did their best to try to pay attention.

It didn't often work. Reading was saved for those quiet moments, after hard days of pushing our bodies to the limit but before we were able to fall together into an exhausted heap. Most nights, my soft voice was the only sound in our tree fort as I read aloud from adventure novels - the only thing I'd been able to find that could keep Luffy's attention for any length of time. Usually this ended with both brothers snoring into my shoulders, no matter how hard they tried to stay awake to listen.

I knew that they'd never be bookworms, not like I was. It just wasn't in their nature to be able to sit around when there was stuff to do, adventures to be had. I didn't begrudge them that. It merely warmed my heart to know that, even when they found it dreadfully boring, they still did their best to try, simply because they knew it made me happy.

One book that we were all equally excited about was the Encyclopedia of Devil Fruits that I'd received from Dragon so long ago. The thought that there were so many Fruits out there, each seeming more impossible than the last, boggled the mind. There were hundreds of them, and that was only the ones that had managed to be discovered.

The first one we'd looked up, of course, was Luffy's. And there it was, pictured exactly as I remembered it looking all those years ago in Makino's bar, before my blockhead of a brother had unthinkingly stuffed it into his mouth. Just the image of it was enough to make Luffy shiver and stick out his tongue in remembrance of the awful taste of it.

Below the name was a brief summary of the abilities it had been known to grant its user. What I found most interesting was the mention of Vulcanization, or the chemical process of using sulfur or other equivalent curatives or accelerators in order to make the rubber more durable, which would basically allow my brother to harden his skin significantly in order to avoid more serious wounds, like those that might come from blades. It made sense, I supposed. Luffy's body allowed him to eat outrageous quantities of food and then transfer those nutrients to where they were needed, hence why he could be bloated like an over-inflated balloon one moment and look like his usual scrawny self the next. If his body could transport nutrients like that, why not minerals found in cells of the body as well?

It was a moot point, as I wasn't sure if Luffy would ever be able to grasp that amount of concentration. Because to do that, you'd likely have to know your own body down to the molecule which, while not impossible, especially in a world like this, would likely be extremely difficult. And if he was going to be learning Armament Haki and, by extension, Hardening, was there really any point in fretting about it to begin with?

Pushing that thought out of my head, at least for the time being, I had instead flipped back to the beginning of the book. And, each night before bed, the three of us would crowd around and get through four or five Fruits, talking about the oddities of them as well as their pros and cons.

And so it shouldn't have surprised me when I flipped the page that night only to come face to face with none other than the Mera Mera no Mi.

"Woah! This one lets you become fire? Cool!" Luffy exclaimed, starry-eyed. We'd discovered very early on that he definitely thought Logias were the coolest of all the Fruits.

"Yeah, without haki or Sea Stone it'd probably be really hard to beat. Though, I suppose you could use water to douse the flames? Or cutting off the oxygen, to suffocate them. Or you could burn them with," my throat caught for a moment, but I stubbornly pushed passed it, "magma, I suppose, since it can be hotter."

"I want this one."

Ace's voice rang through the room, cutting off whatever else I'd been about to say next. I turned to look at him, only then noticing the intense look he'd been directing towards the picture before us, the way he'd been so quiet up until this point.

"Ace?" I asked, unsure of what was going through his mind right now. He lifted his head and I was taken aback by the determination burning in his eyes.

"This Fruit. If I get one, I want it to be this," he stated, voice firm.

"But... why?" I finally managed to ask. Yes, this was the Fruit he was destined to eat anyway, but I'd always just assumed it had been a spur of the moment type deal. Or, even more believably, that he hadn't even meant to eat it, much like Luffy. I never would have thought that he would specifically want _this_ Devil Fruit in particular. "I mean, it's cool and all but... We've seen a lot of cooler ones, too. And besides, this one is..."

 _Fire_ , I finished in my head, unable to stop the shudder that ran through my frame. I'd gotten better, over the years. I could start cooking fires just fine on my own, could put them out again with no trouble. I could receive burns on my hands from grabbing hot food too quickly and just shrug it off, instead of finding myself back on that sinking ship with Sabo unresponsive beneath me, or trapped in the maze of flames Grey Terminal had become.

That didn't necessarily mean I was fine, though. Unexpected sparks could still cause me to flinch. Once, while in Edge Town, someone had knocked over a lantern in the middle of a brawl, almost causing an entire building to go up in flames. And I'd just frozen, eyes glued to the orange glow as it had spread, barely even noticing when Ace had grabbed me by the wrist and began to drag me away. When we'd gotten back to our tree house, I'd noticed that he and Luffy looked just as pale as I did, clearly not any more comfortable with large fires than I was.

"That," Ace pointed at me, and then at Luffy who had gone quiet and slightly pale. "That's why I want to. You guys are scared of fire."

"And so you want to _become_ fire?" I asked, incredulous. Where was the logic in that? "And don't lie, you're scared of it, too!"

"I am," he said matter-of-factly, causing me to blink at the easy admittance, thrown off guard. "Sabo probably is, too, maybe even worse than we are."

"So, then... why? I don't understand."

"Because if I'm fire, then there's nothing to be scared of, right?" He asked, as if that was all the answer I needed, which...

Yeah, he had a point, in that ridiculous, backwards-logic way he and Luffy so often had. It wouldn't be that simple, couldn't ever be that simple. We'd still be scared, would still flinch away and possibly suffer from flashbacks. But, even I had to admit that the thought of Ace being fire made it seem not quite so scary anymore. Because Ace was _Ace_ and he was our older brother, and I couldn't help but feel safer with him, knowing that he would do everything possible to protect us from harm.

"Shishishi yeah! I could never be scared of Ace!" Luffy admitted, color coming back to him as he grinned wide.

"You're doing it for us?" I asked, awed, before I shook my head quickly and narrowed my eyes at him. "Eating a Devil Fruit is a big deal! It's not a decision to make lightly, idiot! Eating it is going to change the entire molecular structure of your body. It's going to change every single part of you, so that you'll be able to sustain it's power. _And_ you'll become a hammer, just like Luffy! So don't decide to do something like this just for us!"

"I'm not doing this _just_ for you guys," he huffed at me, scowling. "I just said that I was scared of fire, too, didn't I?"

Oh.

 _Oh._

I sighed, feeling more exasperated with him than I had in awhile. "Really, what is it with you and never running away or backing down? That's gonna come back to burn you one day."

Ace only tossed me a cocky grin. "Not with this Fruit, it won't."

I threw the book at him, causing him to squawk as he tried to dive out of the way in time. Over the ensuing wrestling match, Luffy's delighted laughter was all that could be heard.

.

* * *

.

And then, in what felt like no time at all, the day arrived.

We'd been steadily packing up Ace's boat for the last week, checking and double checking to make sure he had everything he needed. We'd made multiple trips down to Foosha to see Makino, and each time we left she got teary-eyed and pulled Ace into a big hug, which never failed to turn him into a red-faced stuttering mess.

Sabo proved to have excellent timing, his letter arriving just the day before Ace was planning to set sail. Ace wouldn't let us read it, stingy as he was, since it was apparently addressed solely to him - though he did assure us that ours would be arriving soon. All we were able to get out of him was that it was an invitation to meet up, once Ace entered the Grand Line. I couldn't help but be a bit jealous. It'd been years since we'd seen Sabo, after all, and I missed him terribly. Based on the pout that adorned Lu's face, he felt the same.

The night before he was set to leave, we had tiger for dinner. And if Luffy and I sat pressed against Ace's sides instead of spread out around the fire, well, it wasn't like there was anyone there to call us out on it.

The puppy pile that night was way more convoluted than usual, all of us trying to be as close to each other as possible. Ace was in the middle, for once, as both Luffy and I wanted to be beside him. He didn't seem to much mind, soaking in our presence as he was. Even though I could tell he was trying to fight it, Luffy was inevitably the first to fall asleep.

"It'll be weird," Ace finally spoke after we laid in peaceful quiet for awhile. I tilted my head towards him, wordlessly asking what he meant. "Not having you two nearby. Not being able to feel your auras anymore. It'll be really weird."

"It will be for us, too," I admitted. I curled closer to him at the reminder that this time tomorrow, he'd be gone. His hand began running through my loose curls in response, soothing me on instinct.

Silence descended again, and I was loath to break it. Ace was so relaxed right now, so content to just be near us in the time that he had left. But time was running out and any chance I had at this would soon be gone.

I didn't know if what I was about to do was a good idea. In fact, it very likely wasn't. I'd already changed a lot, just by existing, but this, _this_ , would change a lot more. If it worked, it could change the entire storyline, in fact. Because, even though it didn't seem important, it was a pivotal moment. This one thing had led to all the others, events branching off from each other before coming together once more. Every story has a start, every tragedy has a beginning, and this was that beginning.

Sure or not, though, it was now or never. And so I thought of Luffy and what he would do in my position. I thought of Ace, and the pain that had been on his face when he spoke of his fallen comrade, when he was chained atop that execution stand and made to watch as his nakama fought and died for him. Thought of Akainu's fist of magma protruding from his smoking chest and how he'd smiled in his last moments, simply grateful that he'd been loved. Of the way Luffy had _broken_ afterwards.

Swallowing harshly as the images brought tears to my eyes, I made my decision. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was beyond foolish and would only result in a fate even worse. But if there was even a chance that I'd be able to stop that from happening, that I'd be able to stop those expressions from ever adorning my brother's faces, then it was a chance I was definitely going to take, consequences be damned.

"Hey Ace," I called softly and the older boy turned to face me instantly, clearly hearing the tremble I'd been unable to hide in my voice. "This isn't going to make any sense at all, and you'll more than likely think I've gone completely crazy. But I need you to listen to me because it's important. Okay?"

He nodded slowly, his brows furrowed even as his gaze swept over my face, searching for a clue as to what had gotten into me. "Yeah, okay."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was it, no turning back.

"One day you're gonna have nakama that you see as family. And one of them is going to come back with something special, something that's very valuable. You have to pay attention, okay? You have to _observe_ the people around you when that happens. Because it'll cause greed and malice, which can lead to very ugly things. You have to be careful. When it happens, you have to keep your eyes open."

For a moment Ace just stared at me, eyes wide, clearly not knowing what to say. I let him mull it over but when he opened his mouth, questions on the tip of his tongue, I shook my head at him.

"I can't say anything more," _I'd said too much as it was_ , a distant part of my mind informed me, _far, far too much._ "I'm sorry. I wish that I could. But I _can't._ "

Slowly, Ace nodded, though the troubled look on his face remained. I knew it was unfair, that there was no way it would make sense until the event in question happened. My clue might not even help. Things might turn out just as they had before, with Thatch dead and Blackbeard in the wind, except it might result in Ace feeling even more guilty than last time around. He might even come to resent me, if that happened, for giving him the key to save his future crewmate but for being so vague that he couldn't even make use of it.

I shook my head, forcefully dislodging the thoughts. What was done was done. No matter what the outcome was now, there was nothing more that I could do but wait to see what happened. Sighing, I drew myself impossibly closer until I was laying practically on top of the older boy, my hand stretched across in order to tangle in Luffy's hair the way Ace's was tangled in my own. Lu mumbled something about bear meat under his breath before he hitched his leg up over Ace's hip, his foot coming to rest digging into my stomach.

I let my eyes drift shut, even as I could practically hear the thoughts churning in my older brother's head, and instead focused on memorizing the sound of his heartbeat beneath my ear. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

For now, to me, this was all that mattered.

.

* * *

.

The day Ace left was perfect for sailing. The skies were clear and the sea was blue and the winds were favorable. If he used his knowledge in navigation properly, he'd make it to the next island before the day was out.

Quite a crowd had shown up to bid him farewell, consisting of the bandits, Makino and the Mayor and, of course, Luffy and I. Dadan had refused to come, though I knew it was only because she was currently an emotional wreck crying in the corner of her hut. The bandits weren't much better off, not a single one of them dry-eyed, but they were much less ashamed of showing it.

I had to admit that even I was getting a bit misty eyed as I looked upon my brother for the last time, at least for a few years. I was feeling extremely nostalgic, remembering the little grouchy shit-head that we'd followed into the forest, the one that had tried time and time again to kill us. And here he was now, standing tall, orange cowboy hat placed firmly on his head and shirt left open in order to show off his physique, something I'd teased him over endlessly.

And now he was leaving, setting sail to become a pirate.

"You have your share of the Fund, right?" I asked for what was probably the hundredth time.

"Yes, Ana, I have my share of the Fund," he answered with an indulgent smile. "And food and water and clothes. _And_ a map _and_ a compass..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, I'm fretting," I grumbled, pouting.

"No, no, it's cute!" Ace laughed, stepping gracefully out of the way when I tried to kick him in the shins. I growled at him in response. _Damn Observation Haki!_

"Shishishi, are you ready?" Luffy asked, grin spread impossibly wide.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Ace confirmed as he smiled back, the freckles on his face only highlighting his complete joy. He turned, as if to hop into the boat that awaited tied off from the dock, and I scoffed at him.

" _Excuse you_ , just what do you think you're doing?" When he turned to cock his head at me questioningly, I took the chance to lunge forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and dragging him down into a tight embrace.

"Woah!" He yelped, thrown off balance, but he still returned the hug automatically, his own arms wrapping around my waist instantly. I couldn't help but feel a bit proud. The Ace of seven years ago would have squawked and fought desperately to get free, unused to affection as he was back then. Now, he simply accepted and returned it, even if he still went a little red in the face sometimes and let out the occasional grumble. Which was usually saved for when Luffy jumped into the fray, his rubbery arms snaking around us tightly.

Like they were right now.

"Come on, you guys, I'm leaving to become a pirate," Ace whined. "This is so uncool."

"Deal with it," I commanded unsympathetically as I rested my ear over his heart once more, wanting to hear the sound of it beating one last time before he left.

"You'll miss us!" Luffy claimed with confidence, tightening his grip on us even further.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know why, though," our oldest brother huffed and I let out a snicker at the obvious lie.

"We'll miss you, too," I promised as Luffy finally pulled away and set us free. Before Ace could regain his balance, I grabbed ahold of his chin and pressed my lips to the center of his forehead, much like I had with Sabo so many years before. Ah, and there was that embarrassed blush I'd been expecting. "You be careful, okay? Make sure you find a doctor so that they can help with your narcolepsy. Have lots of adventures and meet a lot of cool people. Get really strong! Remember what I told you," I met his eye and waited for him to nod at me before continuing. "And never, not for a single second, forget that you have siblings who love you, who will do anything for you, and who would go completely out of their minds if something happened to you."

And there was that awed look again, the same one that appeared every time Ace was reminded that there were people who actually gave a shit about him. Even after all this time, it still made frequent appearances, though less than it once had. I both hated and adored that look. Hated, because it really drove home how little love he'd had in his life before, adored because it meant that our words and feelings were actually getting through to him, even if it was just a little.

I finally took a step back, taking my place at Luffy's side as Ace did the same.

"Guess this is it," our older brother mumbled, smiling softly at the both of us. "You two be careful, too, okay? Look out for each other and get stronger. And don't get caught stealing."

This last was said directly to me, along with a stern look, causing me to scoff. As if I'd ever get caught by those idiotic nobles.

"We'll see each other again, on the Grand Line, for sure!" Ace continued.

"Definitely!"

"Damn right!"

Tossing one last cocky grin our way, Ace turned and hopped down into his boat, wasting no time in untying it from the dock before unfurling the sails. The wind caught instantly, as I'd known it would, and carried him out quickly.

"Good luck out there, Ace!" Luffy yelled as he waved.

"Make sure you get a big bounty!" I shouted.

"Just you wait!" Ace's voice carried back to us, even as his boat sailed further and further away. "I'll make a name for myself in no time!"

We continued to stand there for a long time, long after Ace disappeared beyond the horizon, taking his grin with him, and everyone else began to disperse.

"Well, Lu," I finally sighed. "Looks like it's just us, now."

"Shishishi, we've got a lot of work to do."

I felt a grin, full of challenge, pull at my lips. As I turned to face my brother, I could see that his own mirrored mine.

"Well, then. We'd better get started."

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* * *

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 **A/N: This chapter is almost 13,000 words, you guys. Pats self on back tbh. It's probably only this long because I didn't want Ace to leave, since he really is one of my top favorite characters. I'm going to miss writing him so much... But that means one, _maybe_ two chapters more and then canon will start. Finally! 100,000 words later... **

**Sorry if the talk of puberty and sexual assault bothered some of you, but I felt it had to be addressed at some point. There really are a lot of open perverts in the One Piece world. And I know it's mainly for adding humor, but still, for a girl growing up in that world it'd probably be really scary. If this series was darker, it'd definitely be an extremely big problem. Plus, I really wanted to write Ace's reaction to it a bit. It wasn't too over the top, seeing as how the situation wasn't actually all that bad. But still. Protective Ace gives me life.**

 **The idea for the spike strip in Lily's braid came from OreoNinja, so they deserve all credit for that. It was a great idea and as soon as I read it I just had to incorporate it in. Hope you don't mind!**

 **I also hope you liked seeing a bit more of their training. You'll be seeing more next chapter, when Lily and Luffy start their own haki training. And a bit of Garp thrown in for good measure.**

 **I got a lot of long reviews on the last chapter, which honestly made me so happy. You guys really are the best! Thank you to every single one of you!**

 **athenaincarnate: I actually was planning to do something along those lines, involving Sabo and Koala, which makes it great that you suggested it as well! And yes, the fact that Luffy never learned his crewmate's pasts has always bugged me too. I understand what point they're trying to make by doing it like that, to prove that he just cares for them no matter what, and maybe to also emphasize his "live in the moment" personality. But still, the past makes the person. And I always thought it was strange that he wouldn't want to know everything he possibly could about his nakama, based on how much he loves them. Lily, being Lily, will definitely be interested in their stories, though, as she's not the type to say no to new information. So, we'll see how that affects Luffy as well, I guess :) And yes, with the PTSD and fanfics! That's one of the big reasons I love time travel fic so much, honestly. I just love the absolute angst of a character losing everything, only to be able to go back and try again. It's the best! I wanted to show that Ace is slowly but surely growing as a person. I don't think he'll ever be able to completely accept love and affection, and feel like he absolutely deserves it. But at the same time, here, he has Lily as well as Luffy showering him in love. And while Lily may be more reserved than her twin, that doesn't mean she's adverse to physical displays of affection. In fact, she loves them, especially when it's with her brothers. Because, let's face it, big brother hugs can be the best sometimes. And yes, I feel like Straw Hat Puppy Piles are now going to have to be a thing, at least when they're stuck on that small boat. Because who could say no to an image like that?**

 **Fenrir's Phantom: Thank you for the Devil Fruit ideas! I will definitely keep them in mind!**

 **BlueberryChiffon: Your language is definitely excused haha I'm glad that you like this fic so much! Hopefully I'm able to continue worrying your grandma by causing you to spaz over Lily and her adventures! :)**

 **Ugotaurus: I am leaning pretty heavily on the healing Fruit as well. As for her having the ability to heal others, when I say life threatening I really do mean _life threatening._ Like, if Chopper is unable to do anything to help and it's pretty much hopeless. Because, for someone who's body has been changed on a molecular level to rapidly heal like that, it's okay. But for normal bodies? Even bodies that are enhanced via their own Devil Fruits? Healing them even marginally like that could cause various problems. I could never understand how Mansherry's ability could get away with it and pretty much just filed it under the "it's ANIME of course it makes no sense" folder in my head. But I personally wouldn't be able to handle a Fruit getting away with that. So, yeah, she might be taking their wound onto herself since she is capable of healing it, but it won't be without adverse reactions. The body isn't meant to be wounded one moment and healed the next, the mixed signals alone would be enough to cause extreme shock. So, the only time she would use it (or that Chopper would _let_ her use it) on others would be if there really was no other choice (Sorry if my explanation was unnecessarily long... I've put a lot of thought into this if you hadn't noticed hahaha). As for her position on the crew, I've been thinking of making her something like an Intelligence Officer, more or less (I don't know what the proper name for it on a pirate ship would be...). Because she's gotten good at finding things out (maybe not as good as Robin but I mean, come on, it's _Robin_ ) and more than that, her head is literally full of information. She's spent the last few years of her life practically living in the library, reading up on the world around her, not to mention everything she already knows thanks to her past life. **

**I've been debating with myself on and off over whether or not to officially make her the First Mate. Because, technically, she is. And more than that, I don't think it's ever explicitly stated that Zoro does, in fact, carry the title. But, on the other hand, it's weird for me to think of anyone other than Zoro ever having the title. I don't know. There's still a chapter or two left until it becomes relevant, so let me know what you guys think.**

 **mylongodetosleep: I'm glad that you like the fic so far! The puppy piles are definitely a favorite for everybody, it seems, and I can't blame any of you. The mental image is just so adorable. As for Lily's Devil Fruit, snakes are definitely an animal that I'm keeping in mind, because they can be associated with so many things and there's really so much you can do with a Fruit like that, depending on which species you go for. Your review wasn't too long, in fact I loved it! And I'm always open to Devil Fruit ideas, so don't worry!**

 **Mytheos: You were definitely spot on in your interpretation of Lily's fighting ability hahaha yes, she's trailing behind the boys in terms of strength but she's making up for it with her speed and agility. She's going to be a more graceful fighter, not wasting any of her hits and going in for the kill relatively quickly, as opposed to the all-out drawn-out brawls Luffy has sometimes. But even if it's not in the same way as her brothers, or even other members of the crew, she'll still be a heavy hitter and isn't someone you'll want to underestimate. I've always found Logias to be really awesome, but like Mythical Zoans, I know that they're next to impossible to get your hands on. As such, I don't know how into Lily getting one I am, even though there are tons of cool and interesting ideas for them. Lily getting her Fruit that way would be honestly hilarious. And now that you've suggested it, I might just have to do it. Oh, my god, it would be great though. Just picturing her reaction is enough to crack me up!**

 **Like always, thanks for reading, and please follow, favorite or review to let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

Life without Ace was, in a word, quiet.

It wasn't something I had been expecting, especially since I still had Luffy by my side. It wasn't that we didn't still get involved in all manner of chaos, or that life was at all boring, but...

Ace had been in our lives for seven years. And in those seven years, we were never very far from each other. The longest we'd ever been apart was when I'd been on Dragon's ship. And so, to look over and expect to see Ace's grinning face, only for him to be gone... It took some getting used to. For Luffy and me both.

I was glad that I still had my twin with me, though. I had no idea how the Luffy of canon had been able to handle three years alone. Just the thought of it was enough for me to drop everything and wrap my arms around his rubbery form tightly, silently vowing to never leave his side. Even though I never said anything, by the way he hugged me back and grinned once I'd let him go, I got the feeling he understood all the same.

Life continued on, though, as it was wont to do. We both continued to train, harder than we ever had before. Time was counting down quickly and soon we'd be setting sail. And then there would be no do-overs, no _'let me try that move one more time'_. We had to be ready.

I continued to add to our Pirate Fund, making trips into town at least once a week. Before, Luffy would always hang out with our older brother while I did, either training or hunting, but now he began to follow me, not wanting to be left behind. It made things much more challenging, which probably should have annoyed me. Instead, I found myself excited. I hadn't had this much trouble stealing and sneaking around in what felt like ages! The nobles of Goa were easy prey, having full confidence in their meager security, regardless of the fact that no one had been able to stop me yet, and unwilling to admit to their own short-comings and lose face amongst their peers.

Luffy, though, was not made for stealth. He was brash, and loud, and craved for attention. Even the draw of being ninjas didn't work as well as it had when we were kids.

That wasn't to say that he _couldn't_ ; Ace and Sabo had made sure that he could at least pickpocket if he had to as, in our way of life, it was a bit of a necessary skill to have. And he definitely thought it was fun, scaling buildings and creeping through empty halls. The sight of treasure excited him just as much as it would any pirate, though for different reasons. It was less about the monetary value, for him, and more about what it represented. Treasure for him equaled _pirate_ , and it really was as simple as that. Him and I had that in common, as it wasn't about the price for me either and more the thrill of being able to get away with it.

He always got distracted though, whether by the snatches of conversation we'd hear now and then, which often times sent him spiraling into fits of laughter, or by the many strange things we'd see decorating the enormous houses we'd break into. One time, he spotted a full suit of armor and, before I even knew it, he had half of the thing on and was attempting to clang his way after me, all the while trying unsuccessfully to shove on the rest of it. The time before that he'd caught sight of an elaborately painted vase and had moved closer in order to inspect it, knocking it over in the process and sending it crashing to the ground.

So, yes, I was getting away with far less money than I was used to. On the other hand, though, I was running away from the scene of the crime breathless with laughter, tears of mirth stinging at my eyes, much more often, too.

So, really, it all evened out in the end.

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* * *

.

Really, truly training with Gramps was _hell._

It was different, watching Ace go through it and suffering through it myself. Ace just made it look so simple, even when he was being tossed around the clearing, groaning in pain.

It was not, however, simple. Not at all.

I got the feeling that Gramps also wasn't pulling his punches. To say that he'd been displeased to arrive in the middle of February only to discover that Ace had set sail, to become a pirate no less, would be an understatement. He'd ranted and raved for almost a full day, flinging Luffy and I around violently all the while. I could tell that under all that anger was genuine worry and I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the old man.

Garp was trapped between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he was loyal to his government and, over all else, to the marines. He believed in what he was fighting for whole-heartedly, which was a world safe from pirates. He'd been fighting this battle all his life, after all, fighting for what he believed to be ' _Justice_ '. On the other hand, though, he had four precious grandchildren whom he loved with all his heart, even if he wasn't all that great at showing it in normal ways. One of those grandchildren had already left home to join the Revolutionaries years ago and now another had become a pirate?

As much as Garp had seen in his long life, he was still a bit naive, especially when it came to the marines. He'd believed that, if only he could make us into strong officers, fighting the good fight on the side of the World Government, that we'd be spared even with our so-called demon blood. Or maybe he'd just made himself believe, because not to meant that we were destined to be killed either way, simply for existing. I had always had my doubts, when I'd been reading the manga, and the phrase ' _methinks he doth protest too much_ ' had often entered my head. It wasn't that I thought he didn't want us to become marines, because he clearly did. More that, I didn't think he was as against our lives of piracy as he made out to be, either. He just wanted us safe.

Overall, I thought he was just scared. Scared of us being found and captured and executed, all while he wouldn't be able to do a thing.

And so I kept as quiet as I could on the subject, never rubbing our future plans to set sail ourselves into his face if I could help it. And if he hit a bit harder during his visit after Ace left, if he was a bit more short tempered, then, well, at least it was good training.

Even if my brother and I were covered in bruises for the better part of the next three months, even after he'd left again.

By the time we'd turned fifteen, though, much of Gramps' ire had faded away. And so I'd stupidly thought that haki training would be a breeze, because why wouldn't it? We were informed in what to do, had seen for ourselves how it was done, and we were used to getting beaten into the ground by now. We were only getting stronger with every passing day. So, why wouldn't this be easy for us?

Yeah, I'll admit, I'd gotten more than a bit full of myself over the years. It probably had something to do with the fact that, baring my brothers and our grandfather, nobody had been able to stand up to me in a fight in quite some time. If I was in need of humbling, though, I certainly got it.

Gramps was _merciless_.

In honor of our fifteenth birthday and, thanks to the fact that he no longer had to take time off for Ace's birthday anymore, he'd gotten a whopping _six months off_ for the occasion. Seeing my brother shiver and grow pale beside me, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was experiencing their life flashing before their eyes at the pronouncement.

First, before he'd let us get anywhere near haki, he wanted to make sure we were up to snuff. Which meant two weeks of nothing but sparing, sneak attacks and _pain_. Haki wasn't a game and if we wanted to be able to use it, we had to be strong. Haki was defined as a manifestation of willpower, which we knew, but what was willpower?

Willpower was your ambition, your resolve, and your absolute refusal to ever give up. There was no room for doubt. You could train for years, gain complete mastery over every form of haki, but if you hesitated for even a moment you could lose to a complete novice.

He also refused to allow us to use this skill, if gained, as a crutch. If we wanted to be strong then we would be _strong_. There would be no half-assing it, not so long as he was around.

"But Gramps," Luffy had whined one day, hands clutching at his throbbing head. Splayed on the ground a few feet away and covered in my own menagerie of bruises, I had very little sympathy for him at the moment. "You never made Ace go through this when you started teaching him!"

"Don't whine!" Gramps admonished, hands on his hips and chest puffed up indignantly. "Your brother already had his haki awakened! And just because you didn't see it didn't mean it didn't happen!"

Which was true. Whenever Gramps was around, he'd often steal Ace away for the afternoons, dragging him into the forest and not returning until dinner, our dirt-covered, half-dead brother trudging laboriously behind him. I'd always thought that they'd just been training his Conqueror's Haki but I'd never known for sure.

To think that Ace had been subject to this kind of intense training and hadn't even complained once? My respect for my older brother grew by leaps and bounds at the insinuation.

"Besides, how else do you expect to get strong? Or do you think others are going to carry you?" Garp challenged. Luffy was instantly back on his feet, brown eyes darkened in determination. I followed soon after, albeit a bit slower. I swayed for a moment as my muscles cried out in protest before pushing the exhaustion down and out of my mind, a skill I was getting disturbingly good at.

When Luffy charged forward, I followed, just as I always would.

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* * *

.

"Luuuuffy! Liiiiiily!"

My brother and I both perked up from where we'd been sparing under the watchful eyes of our grandfather. Glancing over to the old man and receiving a nod, we both grinned and made our way into the jungle, up the mountain towards where Dogra and Magra's voices were calling.

We broke through the treeline at the same time, crowing our own victory before turning to glare at each other.

"I got here first," I insisted, scowling. "Which means it's _my_ win. Which means _I_ get extra at dinner!"

"No way!" Luffy yelled out, pout fully in place. "I definitely got here first!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did _not_!"

"Did _too_!"

"Now, now," Magra interrupted, tone full of fond indulgence as the two bandits watched as my brother and I literally butted heads. "We were calling you both for a reason, you know."

"That's right! Take a look at this!" Dogra thrust a newspaper at us, unable to hide the grin on his face.

It took a moment for the page to come into focus but once it had, I found a smile of my own splitting my face, Luffy laughing in delight next to me. Because there, for all the world to see, was Ace. He was covered in blood and grime, having obviously been in a fight, but his smirk was wide and triumphant. He looked happy.

More than that, he looked _free_.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed, snatching the paper from the small-statured man's hands. I leaned into him, trying to get a good look of the page from over his shoulder. "Ace really has made a name for himself! He's got a ship and a crew and everything!"

"The Spade Pirates?" I asked, snickering. "Like the _Ace of Spades_?" I couldn't contain my mirth, not even when Luffy cocked his head at me in confusion. Because, honestly, our older brother could be the biggest dork in the world when he really wanted to be. He acted all suave and cool, like a bad ass, but no, he was really just a _giant fucking nerd_.

"Ace really is amazing!" Luffy continued to gush, happy in the knowledge that our brother was doing good and was well on his way to accomplishing his dream. I knocked my hand against his straw-hat-covered head lightly, smirking when I finally drew his attention.

"We can't let him beat us!" I told him, and watched as his own grin morphed into one of challenge to match my own.

"Nope!" He agreed cheerfully. "Let's get back to Gramps! We need to train more!"

.

* * *

.

Once we were up to acceptable standards, Gramps proclaimed that from that moment on, we would be wearing blindfolds. Fighting, hunting, even while making trips to Dadan's hut and Foosha Village (which he apparently knew about and was _not happy_ over), everything we had to do would be done without our sight. And we'd better be prepared to be pushed to the very brink, because from this moment on there would be no holding back.

"You call the last two weeks _holding back_?" I demanded even though, yeah, obviously he wasn't going full-out on us. Even now, I doubted that he would. Because then we'd be dead, instead of just feeling like it.

"Of course I've been holding back!" He'd yelled as if I were an idiot, which - he had a point. "If you don't think you can handle it, speak up now. This is your last chance! From this moment on, you will not doubt! You will not falter and you will not quit! And if you try to, I'll beat the sense back into you!" I shivered at just the thought, something Gramps didn't miss. He knelt down so that he'd be more on our level, softening his voice as he regarded both my brother and I seriously. "Haki is a useful skill to have and it will definitely take you far. But it's not a necessary one, not until you reach the second half of the Grand Line. You don't have to do this now."

Just being given the option, to be told that what I was doing could wait, had my spine straightening. Because this _couldn't_ wait. Whether I trained now or not, we would be facing impossible opponents on our journey. And by the stubborn set of Luffy's jaw, there was no choice to be made for him. If it meant getting strong, if it meant being able to protect his friends and his loved ones, meant getting just one step closer to his dream, then he'd do it. Even if it resulted in spitting blood, being worked to the bone and never resting, he'd do it.

And so my options now were: work just as hard or be left behind. And no way was I going to allow myself to drag my brother down, to be the reason he failed. It was like Gramps had said, did I expect to be carried?

And the answer was no. I would not be such a burden.

Garp smiled at the two of us, eyes shining with pride as he clearly saw that our decision had been made. No doubt, no backing down.

I nodded at him, "Let's do this."

"That's what I like to hear!"

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* * *

.

I'd been wrong when I'd called it hell before. That was a dream compared to this. This, _this_ was hell.

After three weeks of stumbling around the jungle blindly, something I was certain I'd have no trouble with only a month ago, I finally began sensing... something. It was faint, barely there.

It happened during one of the hundred spars Luffy and I still took part in daily. He had sent a rocketing fist at me and, for a moment, it was almost like I could see him, could see that the hit was coming from my left and would land on my shoulder if I didn't move _right now_. And so I did, swerving out of the way, and felt the wind coming off of his arm as it stretched passed me harmlessly. It wasn't until we'd heard clapping in the direction our grandfather had plopped himself that I'd even realized I'd done it.

"That's my precious granddaughter!" He yelled, ecstatic, and before I even had time to wrap my head around it, his arms were wrapped around _me_.

" _Can't_... _breathe_..." I choked out as I was squeezed, back bending in a way I was pretty sure was not healthy for anyone not made out of rubber. And then I could only squeak incoherently as he held me tighter, beard scratchy as he rubbed it against the top of my head in affection.

"I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you~!"

"Gramps!" Luffy's voice called out. I couldn't see his face, what with the black spots currently dotting my vision, but he sounded pretty panicked. "She's turning really blue!"

"Ah! Oops." And then I was being dropped. As soon as my feet were on solid ground, my knees were buckling underneath me and I had to fight the urge to gasp desperately. I'd learned early on in my quest to prolong the time I could hold my breath that gasping erratically tended to hurt more before it helped. Instead, I focused on taking long, deep breaths, counting as I did so. And then I was ripping the strip of cloth tied around my head off in order to glare at the older man more efficiently, rules and consequences be damned. It was obvious Luffy had already done the same, anyway.

"You almost just killed me, you damn lunatic! And all you have to say is _oops_?!"

"I was just trying to praise you," he sulked, shoulders hunched in dejection. I sighed at the pathetic sight he made.

"Yeah, well next time remember that I'm not made of crazy like you are," I commanded, rolling my eyes when this only made him perk up at the implication that there'd be a next time. I'd known from the get-go that Garp loved his grandkids, but I'd never thought he would be so physically affectionate, though maybe I should have considering Luffy. Or maybe he just felt like he couldn't indulge in it before, having only had boys, and now he felt it was acceptable because of me? Which was a bunch of BS, since Lu was just as into great hugs as I was, if not more so. And so I told him, "You can hug all you want, old man, just don't try to kill me."

Letting out a cheer, he'd swept my brother and I up into his arms, though noticeably more gently then he had before. Luffy had even let loose a giggle when he'd rubbed his beard against him as well, causing one of my own to bubble up. Crazy he might have been, but he was still our Gramps, and I couldn't deny that I loved him. The moment couldn't last forever though, and soon enough he was setting us both back down, patting our heads roughly and grinning directly at me.

"That was Observation Haki you used just then," he informed me, which had my eyes going wide. Luffy, for his part, pouted.

"No fair! I wanted to get mine first!" He whined at me.

I smirked at him smugly, shrugging my shoulders in a decidedly nonchalant fashion. "What can I say? I'm just that awesome."

"Just you wait, I'll have mine in no time! I'll then I'll beat you!" He yelled, pointing his finger in my face. Before I could bat it away or say anything in response, he was stomping back to the other side of our makeshift fighting ring. "Again! We still have thirty-six fights to go, you haven't won this one yet!"

I grinned, full of fondness, even if he could no longer see it since he'd retied his blindfold. Wasting no more time, I did the same. "Yeah, let's go."

I wasn't at all surprised when Luffy ended up activating Armament Haki first instead. Observation had made sense for me since, as the weakest of my siblings, I spent most of my time observing before I actually attacked. I would probably never be capable of just wailing away at someone until I came out on top. I had to look for weaknesses, for openings. And with keeping my knife in mind, I had to gauge size and build, determine where vitals would be located down to the centimeter, if possible. And that wasn't even throwing in my extracurricular activities: sneaking and stealing.

Luffy, though, was all about attacking. And while he was capable of observing and, in fact, did it much more now that I was around to influence him, he would never quite be the person who looked before they leaped. My brother desired strength, in order to protect what was important and to achieve his dream. And strength, to him personally, equaled physical, at least in this aspect. It was why he trained his body so harshly, even outside of what we were put through daily by our grandfather.

And so when his fist and half his arm turned a startling black as he blocked a hit from Gramps, I wasn't all that surprised. In fact, I was a bit happy. Even if we couldn't master both before we left, our crew would still be fairly balanced, skill wise. And this meant we'd be able to help each other to cover our weaknesses.

After our grandfather had finally set us back down again, tears of pride streaming down his face like the ridiculous person that he was, I grabbed my brother and pulled him into a hug of my own, squeezing him tightly as I knew I, at least, wouldn't be able to hurt him with my embrace. Not yet, anyway. He'd hugged back instantly, even bouncing a bit in his excitement, which caused me to laugh.

"We're one step closer!" I crowed, giddy. It was almost hard to believe how far we'd managed to come. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined making it to this point so quickly. In my last life, if someone had come up to me and told me that I'd be able to hold my own against lions and bears at the age of fifteen, I would have laughed right into their faces. And then maybe asked them if they were alright and if they needed me to call someone for them.

And yet, here I was, doing just that and more. It was a headrush, that was for sure, to realize just how strong my brother and I had become. Not strong enough, not yet, but we were getting there. We were actually _getting there_. It wasn't just a hopeless goal anymore, it was attainable.

And suddenly, our future didn't look quite as scary as it had before.

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* * *

.

Before he left, Gramps assured us that he would be back again in six months, after our sixteenth birthday. He couldn't promise that he'd be able to stay as long as he had this time, but he'd take as much time off as he could. And we'd better be ready, because he wouldn't go easy on us. Any steps back in training would not be met with kindness.

We waited half the day just to be sure he was gone and then raced straight down the mountain to Party's Bar, something we hadn't been able to do much the entire time he'd been there. My Observation had grown stronger by the day but it was still impossible to sneak by that old man, meaning that trips to Foosha were out of the question unless we went separately while the other distracted, which we couldn't get away with often. And he always just _knew_ and punished us on our return accordingly. Which also meant that my trips to High Town had been put on hold, resulting in our Fund not growing and my fingers to become twitchy, whether for jewels or for books, even I wasn't certain. I couldn't even complain about it either, as Luffy only patted my shoulder while wearing a blank look and Dadan and her bandits glared and pouted. Which was understandable. Having a Vice-Admiral within yelling distance probably put a bit of a damper on the whole looting thing for them, as well.

Garp was gone now, though, a fact I knew for sure was being riotously celebrated back at the bandit's hut. Dadan was probably already three sheets to the wind, even though it was barely evening. Luffy and I had decided months ago, though, that we would be visiting Makino together the first chance we got. Our mother figure had to be missing us and, if I was being honest, I was missing her just as much.

The place was pretty packed when we first arrived, which wasn't all that surprising. It was just nearing dinnertime, after all, and a bunch of the people filling the place had just gotten done working the fields or throwing lines for fish all day in the hot sun. I slipped between bodies easily, twisting this way and that as men fast on their way to total inebriation flung their arms wide, lost in the throes of whatever tall tale they were currently telling their equally drunk audience. Luffy had no more trouble than I did as he followed right behind me and, in a matter of seconds, we were both hopping into empty barstools.

The moment she laid eyes on us, Makino was smiling. Not the small, polite thing she tended to paste on for customers but a true, delighted grin. I could feel one of my own stretching my face in response and didn't even have to glance over to know that Lu was the same.

"I haven't seen you two in awhile," she greeted us even as she set two cups of juice before us. Teenager or not, I would always have a soft spot for the drink. Besides, I'd never really been one for alcohol, in this life and the last. Addiction and alcoholism had been a very real concern in my past life, something I'd avoided like the plague. And while I was fairly certain that wouldn't have carried over, some habits died hard. Luffy wasn't a fan of the stuff either, though, and so I felt no reason to change.

"Gramps just left!" My brother informed her happily, feet swinging against the bar like he was still the seven-year-old that had sat there so long ago.

"Yes, he stopped in to say goodbye. He told me to remind you to keep training while he's gone, otherwise he won't be very happy with you." She laughed as both of us flinched and grew dramatically pale, but that was only because she didn't _understand_ , okay, she didn't know the horror that was an unhappy Garp.

"Right," I finally managed to croak out. "We will."

Luffy nodded emphatically beside me. "Definitely will."

"Are you two hungry?" She asked, deciding to be nice and change the subject. I gave her a dry look as my brother instantly cheered at the prospect of food.

"And you've known us for how long?" I demanded jokingly. "How is that even a question?"

"You're right, my mistake," she giggled as she moved to the back room to prepare us something.

"And don't worry about us eating you out of house and home!" I called after her. "We had two crocodiles and four wolves before we came here!"

Ignoring the disbelieving looks this had inevitably drawn from the people around us, Luffy began drooling at the mere thought of the meal we'd had only an hour before. "That meat was so good."

"All meat is good to you," I scoffed at him.

"That's because all meat is good, period."

"I prefer sweets, myself." Which was true, probably just because I got to indulge in my sweet tooth so rarely.

"You're weird," he informed me seriously, a pitying look on his face. Makino emerged from the back just as I was shoving his face into the bar, tickling at his ribs and demanding that he call uncle. He was struggling valiantly, but with how breathless he'd become with uproarious laughter and with the tears that were spilling down his face, he couldn't quite manage to break free. I was going to win this one, he knew it, I knew it, it was just a matter of _when_. The scent of food hitting his nose was enough to sway him, more than force ever would be. "Alright I give, _I give_!"

I sat back, content in my victory, and calmly dug into the meatloaf and potatoes that had been set before me. It took Luffy a moment to catch his breath but the second he had, he was inhaling his own food. The man drinking quietly on his other side was gaping at the both of us, eyes wide at the fact that food had been on our plates one minute and had completely disappeared the next. He shook his head, glancing at the mead still held within his cup, before calling for his check. _Clearly he'd decided that he'd had enough to drink for one night_ , I thought in pure amusement.

"How long will you both be able to stay?" Makino asked after she'd made another round about the room.

"Not long," I sighed, glum. I really did miss the older woman.

"Yeah, we gotta get back to training," Luffy nodded, looking just as dejected. The green-haired woman furrowed her brows at us, frowning delicately.

"Surely you can take a night off," she said, brows only furrowing further when my brother and I both shook our heads in tandem. And then her face morphed into scolding disapproval, a face that we both recognized well and instantly cringed at, especially when she put her hands on her hips. "You have to take breaks, you know. It isn't healthy to just _go go go_. You both are still so young! You can't be so harsh on your bodies!"

"If we take it easy we'll lose our edge," I told her, frowning as well when she only scoffed at me.

"Training constantly can be just as harmful as not training at all. You need to _rest_. You need to have times to wind down and enjoy life. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Luffy and I both shared a look. She had a point, I had to admit. I knew that going constantly, day in and day out, wasn't healthy. And now that she'd pointed it out, I could see that my brother's face was indeed looking a bit paler than it should. The circles under his eyes had grown a bit dark and he was absolutely covered in bruises and bandages. I probably didn't look much better.

 _I hadn't noticed_ , I thought, a bit ashamed at myself. It was usual for us to be injured at any given time. Even when we were younger, you would find us both with bandages here and there. But not like this, never to this extent. Which answered why Gramps had begun to go easy on us there at the end. I'd thought it was because he was leaving soon but he'd clearly seen what we'd only just noticed. He'd even stopped his nighttime sneak attacks!

"Taking things easy, huh?" I asked. At this point, it was hard to even wrap my head around the idea.

"We haven't been to town, lately," Luffy suggested, almost hesitantly. Which was true, and was something I'd been planning to remedy tomorrow. But I was going to go to steal and to catch up on all the latest gossip, not to relax. So, that didn't really count, did it?

"We haven't had ramen in a really long time," I pointed out and knew Luffy was onboard with that plan as soon as he got that glazed look in his eyes, already daydreaming about it.

"See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Makino asked, smiling at us in satisfaction. I smiled back, grateful to her for pointing out what I'd missed. We wouldn't be able to do it often; training was important and we had to keep in shape, otherwise Gramps was going to bury us when he came back.

But a day or two here and there wouldn't hurt, right?

.

* * *

.

"Aaaaaw, Sabo met a _girl_!" I cooed as I read his latest letter, ignoring the way my words caused Dadan to spit out her sake and begin coughing.

"That brat has a girlfriend?!" She demanded once she'd gotten her breath back.

"So what if he has a friend that's a girl?" Luffy asked, confused that it'd be something worth commenting on, by _me_ especially.

"No, Lu, a _girlfriend_ is someone you're romantic with. Like, you kiss and go on dates and stuff," I explained, unable to hold in my laughter when he wrinkled his nose at the idea.

"Oh, those. I don't ever want one of those," he informed me. "You have to share your meat with them and be _happy_ about it!"

He looked scandalized by the very idea, causing me to snort unattractively. "Well, you're not wrong."

"Back to Sabo!" Dadan yelled in an effort to regain my attention. She looked like she wanted to rip the letter out of my hands but was desperately holding herself back from doing so. I graced her with a chillingly polite smile which told her just how smart her restraint was. "What's this about a girl?!"

"Her name's Koala," I informed, giddy. "Almost the whole thing is nothing but complaints and compliments about her." Which was true, the letter really was. I knew that it wasn't like that, though, at least not yet. They'd only just met, after all, and I felt like neither was really in the best frame of mind for a healthy relationship, Koala especially. She'd only been a young girl, only eight or nine, when she'd been freed from slavery by Fisher Tiger, if I remembered correctly. And now she was likely the same age as my older brother, about nineteen or twenty, depending. Right now, all that was likely on her mind was her goal and the work she was doing with the Revolutionaries, just as I could tell it was on Sabo's.

Still, I knew they'd grow to be close friends at the very least.

"He's found someone to rely on," I said, my voice growing softer and more fond.

"That's good!" Luffy cheered, smiling with me. This, at least, he understood. I nodded at him.

"I was growing worried. His letters never really spoke much of other people, besides dad and that one Fishman he was learning from."

"Mm," my brother agreed seriously. "Sabo needs friends. He can't be alone."

"Right. But now he has this girl, and I have a feeling that they're going to grow close. It's nice to see him complaining like the teenager he is for once."

"Says the even younger teenager," groused Dadan, quickly losing interest now that I wasn't hinting at Sabo's love life anymore. I promptly ignored her.

"It sucks that he can't get a letter to Ace, too," I lamented. I already had plans to punch the flamebrain right in the face the next time I saw him. He knew that we wanted updates and knew that Sabo sent us letters every month, even if they weren't always very long. And had that idiot even written to us once to say hi? No, of course he hadn't! Because the big bad pirate captain was clearly too good to write to his younger siblings and let them know that he's still alive!

Yeah, I was feeling a little bit bitter about it.

"Hm, whatever," I shrugged, tossing the letter in Dadan's direction and causing the older woman to squawk and fumble it desperately before she glared at me. I smirked at her cheekily. "See ya later, we have to get back to training!"

"Yeah, you better get outta here, ya damn brats!"

.

* * *

.

By the time Gramps returned, both Luffy and I had gotten a pretty firm grasp on our respective hakis. I could fight on par with my previous skill level, even with my eyes closed, and Luffy was able to summon his Hardening four out of five times, all the way up to his shoulders. He was still working on his legs and his torso but I thought it was impressive, especially seeing as Hardening had remained stubbornly out of my reach. I could form the ' _invisible armor_ ' of Armament every now and then, when I was really pushed to the limit, but it wasn't reliable. Inversely, Luffy was only dodging about half of my attacks while blindfolded, and had to be really concentrating to do so.

Either way, Garp seemed satisfied with our skill level, which was relieving. I'd been having nightmares of the destined beat-down if we let him down, as I knew Luffy had as well. Makino had continued laughing at us, even knowing that our grandfather could be a bit over the top as she did. I'd found myself pouting at her more than once, envious of her ability to remain so ignorant to his wrath.

Once he'd gotten a feeling for just how far along we both were, he'd immediately set about making training schedules for the both of us, focusing on what we needed his help with the most. He only had three months this time, he informed us, which meant we had to work hard to get everything we needed done in time. Even as he remained stubbornly hopeful for our eventual enlistment, I could tell that he knew deep down that this time next year we'd both be off on our journey towards One Piece. The fact that he seemed almost desperate for us to learn all we could with the time we had only supported my theory.

And so, even when I was bruised from head to toe and felt like I just wanted to lay down and never move again, I continued to drag myself back up and didn't complain, not once. I'd already decided at the start that I wouldn't back down and wouldn't give up, not now. And if Gramps could put his all into training us, even knowing that we'd use what he taught us for piracy, then I could be quiet and give my all to learn.

The only thing that truly made me hesitate was when the topic of blades came up once more.

"You're not planning on using that wooden toy as a weapon, are you?" He demanded when I brought it to training. I blinked at him and then looked back to the carving held in my hands, still the closest thing I could bring myself to hold.

"No, but... I could hurt you if I used a real one."

He scoffed, causing me to bristle. "You couldn't hurt me with a sword as big as _Yoru_ , let alone a toothpick that size," he told me, name-dropping _Dracule Mihawk_ ' _s_ sword like it was just _no big deal_. "Go and get a real one."

That was a tone I'd long learned to listen to quickly, or face the painful consequences. And that was how I found myself standing opposite of him, Jambiya dug up and held in my grasp for the first time in nearly ten years, and unable to force myself to stop shaking.

Garp frowned at me, his eyes not missing a single twitch. "Is this the first time you've held a real knife?"

"No," I answered honestly. I could remember this blade being so heavy, before. It had seemed like holding it would be impossible for me. Now I could easily grip it in one hand and felt no strain at all beyond the fact that it was a _knife_ and a large one at that. I could see the gleam of it's still-sharp edge, could almost picture the way blood would look as it dripped - "No, this isn't the first time I've held a real knife."

I jumped when his large hand came into my line of sight, grasping the blade with no hesitation before pulling it from my hands, which had gone limp. After it was out of my sight, I took a deep breath, scolding myself within my head all the while. _It was just a stupid knife!_ And I was going against my grandfather, _Garp the Fist_ , for crying out loud! How arrogant was I to think that I could even scratch him, much less actually hurt him?

Before I could fall too far into the rabbit hole that was self-recrimination, Gramps was gently tugging me down until we were both seated on the grass, facing each other. He regarded me seriously, face soft in a way I hadn't seen since I was a young child. "What happened?"

I swallowed harshly, instantly feeling tears spring up in my eyes no matter how hard I fought against them. I was so sure I had been passed this. I should've been passed this! It had been years already! Luffy and the crew needed me to be strong, not this pathetic, crying excuse of a person who shook at just _holding_ a knife.

"None of that," he admonished, tapping me on the forehead hard enough to make me sway. Then he placed his giant palm on my head, stroking my hair softly. "Now, what happened?"

"I... A few years ago, we were in the trash heap, fighting. And someone aimed a gun at Ace's back. And he was gonna shoot," I told him, haltingly. This was the first time I'd ever told anyone, I realized distantly, beyond that first night when I'd sobbed into Luffy's chest in desperate need for him to understand. "And so I stopped him. There was a knife on the ground and I used it. It wasn't... planned, or anything. But the next thing I knew there was blood everywhere, and the knife was in his throat, and he was dying."

"I see," Garp breathed, eyes dark with regret.

"I never - I never meant to kill him," I insisted, gaze firmly on the ground. Garp was a man of justice, was a marine. Even if I knew how much he loved me, even knowing how much I meant to him, I couldn't help but fear seeing disgust in his eyes, seeing anger and disappointment and any number of other horrible things. It was irrational but I still couldn't force myself to look back up. "And when I close my eyes, I can see his face, can see the b-blood and I don't want to hurt you or Luffy like that, not ever!"

"You're afraid," he stated, causing me to flinch. I wanted to argue, to deny it, but I couldn't. Because I was afraid. I was so afraid that I would kill someone else without even knowing what I was doing, so afraid that the next time I saw that much blood it would be coming from my brother and it would be my fault, would be my blade draining his life away. "Liliana, I want you to listen to me. Every person who chooses to walk the path that we do, whether Marine or Pirate, will have a moment just like that. A moment when they take a life for the very first time. Some move past it more quickly than others but no matter what, you don't ever forget it."

"Do you have a moment?" I found myself asking, peeking up at him hesitantly. All I saw on his face was _understanding_ , and I found myself breathing easy for the first time since he'd told me to dig up my Jambiya.

"I do," he confirmed, face solemn. "When I was twenty, I was in a skirmish against a band of pirates. They called themselves the Purple Feather Pirates and their captain was a brute of a man, taking down my fellow officers left and right. I saw him gunning for a greenhorn, a young kid that looked like he'd just enlisted. His knees were shaking and he couldn't even lift his gun, he was so scared. I knew it was probably his first time seeing battle like that and, if I didn't do anything, would likely be his last. And so I reacted and slammed my fist right into the pirate's rib cage, and he went down with barely a wheeze. Found out later that the force of my blow had caused most of his ribs to cave inward, piercing his organs."

"What did you do when you found out?" I asked, voice hushed. I'd never known this about Garp. This was something that had never been revealed about him and hearing it made him sound more human, more relatable.

"I was scared," he admitted easily, not at all ashamed. "I'd never thought I'd do such a thing, take a life with my own bare hands like that. But that greenhorn was still alive because of what I did. And so I kept training, kept getting stronger. My fists were my weapon and I would never stop using them to protect. And I would never regret taking lives with them if it meant saving others. Do you regret it? Taking that life?"

"No," I answered instantly, honestly. "Because Ace is still alive. I could never regret that."

"Then there you go," he nodded approvingly. "Never let taking lives become easy, never let it become your first option. And make sure that, when you're forced to kill, you do it for a reason that you'll never regret."

I nodded, his words ringing through me. And I knew, in that moment, that they would be words that I would live the rest of my life by.

"Now, up you get," he barked, causing me to jump to my feet instantly. He was grinning at me, knife held out to me once more. "Won't be able to protect anyone if you don't learn how."

I took the blade from him and, this time, my hands were steady.

.

* * *

.

The morning of May Fifth was bright and sunny and _hot_.

Luffy and I made our way to Dadan's hut first, bags slung over our shoulders and practically skipping in excitement. We'd been working hard to make it to this day and now that it was finally here it almost felt surreal.

"Hey!" Luffy yelled as he barged in, paying no head to common courtesy at all. Not that I was much better, following right behind him, but at least I recognized that we were ignoring our manners. "Are you guys not gonna come see us off?"

The bandits definitely made a sorry sight. All of them were moping about and sulking, a dark cloud of depression hanging over the whole room.

"Nah," Dogra mumbled, not even looking up at us. "While the Mayor and Makino might not mind, our presence would cause a panic for the rest of the village."

"Now, now," Magra added, despondent, "you two go on down there alone."

I snickered at them. "Aw, cheer up, you guys. It could be worse! We could be leaving to become _marines_."

Every single person, including Luffy and I, shivered at the thought.

"Garp's gonna kill us the next time he comes to visit, you know that, right?" Dadan demanded, trying her best to sound irritated and failing.

"Ah, I don't think you'll have to worry about that," I assured her cryptically. Before he'd left last time, Gramps had managed to wrangle out a promise from my brother and I that we'd at least _visit_ a nearby Marine Base, if nothing else. I'd agreed easily enough, knowing that if things followed the plot as they were supposed to, we'd be doing just that anyway. At least this way we'd be making Gramps happy, too. "If you aren't coming down to Foosha with us, then, well... Thanks for everything!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Luffy agreed.

"Oh, shut it, you brats! You're gonna make me blush!" The orange-haired woman yelled out, despite the fact that her face had already turned red.

"We still hate bandits..." Luffy trailed off, grinning.

" _Shut your face_!"

"...But we love you guys!" I finished. And with that, Dadan finally lost the futile battle she'd been fighting, turning her back to us as tears gushed down her face, not at all impaired by the hankie she was trying to wipe them away with.

"Stop spoutin' crap and just get outta here already!" She sobbed. Even a few of the bandits had lost their cool, openly crying. Luffy and I both just laughed at them, turning and throwing a ' _bye!_ ' over our shoulders as we went.

"I promise to write!" I added for good measure. I didn't want Dadan to only experience the journey of the future Pirate King through newspaper articles this time. She deserved better than that.

The trip down the mountain was a quick one. We'd long since gotten used to the terrain and it had stopped being a challenge years ago. By the time we got to the docks, a crowd had already formed to see us off. Most of the villagers were people we hadn't really seen in years and so, mean as it was, I wasn't really all that concerned about saying goodbye to them. The one I was concerned about, however, was the green-haired woman who was currently smiling at us through her tears.

"I'm going to miss you two," Makino told us, voice wobbling alarmingly before she grabbed us both and yanked us into a tight hug. "You both are to eat healthy, which means vegetables and fruit, not just meat and sweets! Be sure to drink enough water! Wash your clothes and take regular baths!"

We nodded with each decree she came up with, no matter how ridiculous. She was just as much our mother as Dadan could claim to be. Hell, she was just as much our mother as our actual _mother_ could claim to be, if not more so. She'd watched us grow, had raised us both into the people that we now were. The thought that we were leaving and wouldn't be likely to see her for quite some time had both my brother and I holding onto her that much tighter.

After a few minutes, she finally pulled away, bringing a hand up to cup both of our cheeks. "And you'd better write, do you hear me? I want to hear about your adventures."

"We will," I promised instantly. "I'll even get Lu to, even if I have to sit on him first."

"Hey!" My brother pouted, but did nothing to disagree.

"Alright then," she nodded before pushing us both away lightly. "Off you go."

We both grinned at each other before lunging forward, planting a kiss on each of her cheeks. We danced away, leaving her red-faced and smiling behind us, and jumped down into the boat that awaited us.

"Why don't you guys use my old fishing boat?" One of the villagers called down to us.

"No, this is fine!" Luffy assured, unconcerned. "This is how we wanna start out!"

"What, in a little row boat...?" Another asked disbelievingly. I couldn't blame them for their worry. I'd done my level best to talk Luffy out of it, but he'd held firm. This was how he wanted to start out and that was all there was to it. And, seeing as he was now _officially_ my Captain, there wasn't much I could say against it.

"Sabo set out first," Luffy turned to me to say. "Ace set out second. We're going third, but we're not gonna let them beat us!"

"Damn right!" I agreed, feeling just as pumped as he looked. "We're gonna catch up to Ace in no time!"

"What's that you guys are yelling about? Trying to cast a good luck charm?"

"It's not a charm!" Luffy yelled back.

"That's right, it's a challenge!" I could tell on their faces that they didn't understand, but that was alright. The grin on Makino's face said that she knew just what we meant. And if my haki was correct, which I knew it was, then Dadan, Dogra and Magra were hiding just beyond the closest house, unknowingly standing where Luffy and I had so many years ago when Shanks had first arrived. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

"Alright! We're off!" Luffy waved, using his foot to push off against the wall.

"Yeah, bye bye!" I shouted as we drifted farther and farther away, sitting down and taking hold of the oars. We'd played a game of Rock Paper Scissors beforehand and, having lost, I was first up on Row Duty. Which was just as well since we hadn't even left the bay yet and the local Sea King made itself known, growling down at us, and Luffy was the one with a personal grudge against it, not me.

"I've been waiting for this, you shitty sea monster!" My brother cocked his fist back and I could see a sheen of black cover it up to the elbow. Overkill, definitely, but I wasn't about to judge when I knew just how much this meant to him. "It's time to show you just how much I've learned in the last ten years!"

With that, he let his fist fly, stretching until it landed solidly in the creatures face and, without further ado, the Lord of the Coast was sent flying away, already knocked unconscious before it even left the water.

"How'd that taste, you stupid fish?" Luffy asked rhetorically before turning to me once more, practically glowing in satisfaction. "We'll have to find some friends first, I want at least ten people!"

"Mm," I hummed in agreement, unable to keep the smile off of my face. "And then we'll need to make a flag. We also need a ship!"

"Alright! Let's go!" My brother spread his arms out, as if challenging the entire world. "I'm gonna be... KING OF THE PIRATES!"

And with that declaration, we were off.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: More of a transition chapter than anything which, sorry to those who found the training in the last chapter boring! I tried to hurry it along, but it was kind of important... But, hey, on the bright side, canon starts next chapter! Which means Coby! And, at the very least, an introduction to Zoro!**

 **About Garp and his backstory, everything he said is just what I came up with. So, it's probably not even remotely true, so be aware of that. At the same time, I have a feeling that something at least similar had to have happened at some point, you know? I also threw in the letter from Sabo that mentioned Koala. I have no idea when they actually met (or if it was ever stated when that was, because right now I'm drawing a complete blank). I will openly admit that I find the idea of Koala and Sabo ridiculously adorable. But, as stated at the very beginning of the first chapter, there will be no explicitly written pairs in this fic. _Hinting,_ on the other hand...**

 **Juliedoo: I'm glad that I've gotten you back into the fandom! Thank you for saying so. Good characterization is something I try really hard to incorporate in all my fics, above all else. Also, regarding your idea, that's definitely an option.**

 **CupcakeLoopy: Haha you do have a point!**

 **xxMockingbirdxxx: That's actually a very interesting idea!**

 **ApplePieJustCuzILove'Em: Reading through the manga for this has been really hard, seeing as it's the flashbacks that take place around Ace's death. During a few of the chapters I was a bit of an emotional wreck, in all honesty. His death will always turn me into a weeping mess! And yes, I totally know what you mean about the dropping temperatures! I'm living in Northern Ohio now and it's definitely getting chilly, especially at night. And since this is the first northern fall I've experienced in close to six years, having lived in Florida, it's really hitting me hard haha Stay warm!**

 **Lightsbane1905: Lily's main outfit will be a purple sleeveless hoodie, jean shorts and black boots that go up to mid-calf. A lot of her clothes will tend to be purple or blue, as those are her two favorite colors, and she'll mostly stick to shorts/pants because they're more practical for fighting. Dresses and skirts aren't really things she'll voluntarily wear unless she absolutely has to. The only "drawn by men" outfit, as you call it, that I can think of that she'll wear is the dancer's outfit the girls wear in Alabasta. And that's mostly because I want to write Ace blowing a gasket over it.**

 **Catflower Queen: I have a plan in mind for Sanji, trust me. It was actually one of the first ideas I had for this fic once I started planning out Lily's character. And no, they haven't been able to send letters to Sabo, just like how they now can't send any to Ace. They have no idea where either of them are at any given time and, even if they did, there's the chance the letters could be intercepted by marines.**

 **mylongodetosleep: Aren't they just adorable, though? I can't seem to be able to stop writing them like that, even if they're supposed to be bad ass pirates now. The cuteness is bound to continue, don't worry!**

 **athenaincarnate: Oh, my god, thank you! I may or may not be blushing because of your praise right now, omg. I couldn't help but think that it was ironic that the Grey Terminal fire would happen, Sabo would get blown up (supposedly) and then Ace just _happens_ to end up with a Fire Devil Fruit? Coincidence? I think not! Lily didn't get any secrets out of Garp while they were training (sorry!) but mostly because she already knows most of the important bits anyway, and wouldn't want to draw attention with her curiosity. I'm trying to avoid overpowering Lily and Luffy as much as possible and already feel like I'm pushing it with the haki, despite the fact that they haven't fully mastered it even after three years (as Luffy doesn't have as strong of a need to, the way he did after Ace died. And he also hasn't activated his Conqueror's yet, which means nobody but Lily knows that he has it). I feel like getting Garp to teach them the six powers would be next to impossible and learning them in the time they had on top of everything else even more so. Luffy is someone who learns best through combat, who definitely follows the Shonen Rule of "Getting Stronger the Longer They Fight". So, it makes sense for him to pick up skills during a fight. Training, though, tends to be a bit harder for him, I think. Sorry for rambling, oh god, ahaha I don't know if I'd classify them as _monsters,_ per say, but they're definitely both stronger than canon Luffy was when he first set sail. Maybe even stronger than he was when he entered Grand Line? The protective side of Ace will definitely be making a reappearance, as it's something I just can't resist! Yeah, the casual way he left in canon always baffled me but I feel like it's because of how many fics I've read, which showcased just how affectionate Luffy could be and how used to it Ace got. It made seeing him leave without so much as a bro-hug, complete with shoulder clapping, a bit odd. And so I took the chance to remedy that. When I was first in the planning stages for this story, I actually debated long and hard over whether I should switch things up and have Ace go on their journey with them instead of going off on his own, but I just couldn't do it. "I love Ace to pieces" just wasn't a good enough excuse, unfortunately hahaha You haven't missed anything, Lily has been only hinting about her past up until this point. I'm not sure if I'll ever reveal it entirely or if I'll just continue throwing bits and pieces in here and there, I honestly haven't decided. Regardless, I'm glad you like her character so much! It really makes me happy, as she's kind of becoming like my child at this point (Is that weird? I feel like it might be weird...). And yes! Those are my feelings exactly in regards to the whole First Mate dilemma! After what he did on Thriller Bark, I honestly have a hard time picturing anyone else taking that position. **

**Ugotaurus: Ahaha it's the exact opposite here in the Northern US! It's only 55 degrees Fahrenheit here right now, which means about 12 in Celsius I think. But don't worry, I don't mind the complaining. Especially since you left a review, even in that heat! I'm glad that you liked the chapter and it's length. What happened with Thatch isn't likely to be revealed until they reach Alabasta, so we're in for quite the wait. But if I'm able to keep up this speed of writing, hopefully we'll get there in no time!**

 **Acerya: I'm glad that you like the story so far! I've gotten a few interesting ideas for Logia Devil Fruits, so there's definitely some options there and I'm keeping them in mind. We'll see!**

 **sava falling08: I'm glad you like the story, and I'll take your opinion into account, I promise!**

 **Stolyint: I'm glad you like my take on Garp. And no, I'm sure Ace wouldn't resent Lily at all either. But in those situations, rational thought isn't always easy. It's simple for us to know it, and deep down I'm sure Lily knows it too, but it's still hard for her not to worry about it. As for your Devil Fruit idea, yeah, a lot of people have been suggesting Enel's Goro Goro no Mi for her, which is an interesting idea, I'll admit.**

 **Mytheos: I know you said you're eager for canon, so sorry for adding another chapter of training! It was necessary, though. Next chapter we'll finally be diving into the action! And yes, I definitely have a plan for Sanji, I promise! Even if it might not seem like it right away... :)**

 **The Mightier Pen: Ah, yeah, the training was needed. Sorry! I can't stand characters just getting power boosts out of nowhere, either, and so I had to add them. Hopefully they weren't too dull. But thank you! I'm glad you like my story!**

 **Sacuna: That's actually a very interesting idea, and one I will definitely be putting a lot of thought and research into! Thank you!**

 **And to Mytheos, xenocanaan, and anyone else who was wondering about checking up on Ace or other characters later on, I won't be including them in this fic, as I want to keep it strictly from Lily's point of view. BUT! I've been thinking of starting a sort of side fic and putting down things there instead, like maybe a chapter on how Ace reacts to their bounties or maybe one from Luffy or Zoro or one of the crew's POV instead of Lily's, just to get a different look at things. I haven't completely decided yet, and if I do it will be updated no where near as often as this one is. But still, I think it could be interesting. And it would also give me a chance to explore other characters and stuff, which is always a plus.**

 **Also, as usual, it's currently 4 in the morning as I'm posting this. Meaning that, as usual, I haven't proofread it at all. So, please let me know if I misspelled anything or goofed up at all and I will fix it as soon as I can.**

 **Also also, I finally broke down and bought Ace, Luffy and Law Funko Pops yesterday. And they are adorable. Ace's little fiery finger guns absolutely slay me!**

 **Also also also, for those of you interested in this kind of thing: I've been listening to the song Rise by Katy Perry a lot lately, simply because it makes me think of Lily so much. I thought I'd share, to see if any of you agree or not.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, like always! Follow, favorite or review and let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

"Ah, the weather is so nice today," Luffy said, voice full of cheer. "Who would've thought such a disaster could happen on such a great day?"

I couldn't see his face, as I was burying my own in my hands in despair, but he was probably grinning like an idiot.

"Five minutes," I groaned. "I looked away for five minutes. _Not even_! So, how in the hell did this happen?!"

"It's definitely a mystery," Luffy spoke in a sage tone and for the first time in my life, I honestly thought about just pushing him overboard.

It wasn't my fault, though, okay? Because just a few minutes ago, everything had been fine and we'd been sailing along peacefully. I knew that Shells Town would be our ultimate destination, but I also knew that we would have to make a pit stop for Coby first, lest we leave the small boy in Alvida's hands, which was not an option. But I'd taken care with my navigation, what little skills of it I had anyway, to ensure that this didn't happen.

And yet here we were, already drawn into the current of the giant whirlpool before us.

"What a big whirlpool," Luffy commented calmly, staring at it in awe. "That was really careless of you."

"This is your fault!" I yelled back instantly, finally lifting my head in order to glare at him. He only laughed and rubbed the back of his head in response, not a single care in the world.

"It's fine, right? After all, you can swim really good."

"You moron," I sighed, rubbing at my forehead tiredly. "Good swimmer or not, there's no way I'd be able to survive that thing. Especially if I'm also carrying your dead weight around."

"Oh." Luffy blinked at me for a moment, letting that sink in. "Well, that's not good."

"No, Luffy. No, it isn't."

"Hm," he rubbed at his chin, thinking hard as he took in everything we had at our disposal. It wasn't much. Thanks to his insistence on taking such a small boat - which I guess was a good idea, as the bigger one would've been just as doomed as the one we had now - there hadn't been much room for packing. In fact, we barely were able to fit ourselves, our bags and a barrel full of water. Speaking of which...

"We'll just use this!" My brother crowed, yanking the lid off and tipping it over, causing the liquid inside to spill out over our feet. Standing it upright, he wasted no time in hopping in. A moment later he popped his head back out to look at me. "Well, come on!"

I stared at him in disbelief. The barrel was on the large side, I'd grant him that. But there was no way it could be _that_ big. We were two grown teenagers, for crying out loud!

The boat began to sway dangerously, water splashing over the sides as we drew closer and closer to the eye of the vortex. It became clear that I really didn't have a choice, not if I wanted both of us to live, and so with a sigh I felt all the way down to my bones I hopped in after my brother, closing the lid tightly behind me and entrapping us in total darkness.

It was a tight fit, as I knew it would be. It helped that Lu was made of rubber and so didn't mind being stuck in an uncomfortable position. It was also a good thing that we were both already used to being tangled up together, what with the way we usually slept. Because my brother was stuck beneath me, his lower back pressed against the very bottom of the barrel while his knees were forced to bend by his ears, in order to accommodate his long legs. I had ended up sitting on his stomach, arms wrapped at odd angles around his head and legs pulled close to my chest. As soon as we'd settled, he'd wrapped his arms loosely around my waist and leaned his head against my shoulder.

Within moments, we were sent rocking chaotically and it took everything in me not to hold onto my brother for dear life. It didn't take long, thankfully, for us to be pulled under and then spat back out. I couldn't help but be impressed by the sturdiness of the barrel we'd found ourselves in.

Soon after, the waters calmed, resulting in an almost hypnotic swaying. That coupled with the complete blackness and the sound of my brother's steady breathing in my ear had my eyes growing heavy, despite the fact that this really wasn't the time for napping. Part of my mind distantly noted that this was a bad idea, trying to remind me about oxygen consumption and how small this space was but I was already too out of it to really care.

Before I even knew it, I had drifted into sleep.

.

* * *

.

I didn't know how long it took, but eventually the steady rocking came to a sudden, jerking halt.

It was this that finally pulled me back into awareness, causing me to cringe at the crick that had developed in my neck. And my back. And pretty much every part of me, _good lord_.

My restlessness was what woke my brother, causing him to begin to mumble about how hungry he was, as he always did when he first woke up. I ignored him for the most part, pressing my ear to the wood and listening for any clues as to where we were. Were we still out at sea? I could maybe carry Luffy if we were, but depending on where the waves had taken us, we could be pretty far from land. Was it worth the risk, or should I just sit back and wait?

The decision was made for me when the barrel started moving once more. Only this time, instead of swaying gently in the waves, we were being rolled, causing me to grunt and brace my limbs as best as I could so that my brother and I wouldn't end up suffocating each other.

We must have been moving for at least a few minutes, my eyes practically spinning when we finally came to a halt. Dizziness and nausea were pulling at my awareness, making it difficult to concentrate my haki or even just my hearing.

My groans of discomfort were enough to wake Luffy the rest of the way, as he'd long since attuned himself to the noises of distress I made in my sleep so that he could be there to pull me from the throes of a nightmare. Seeing that it was more physical than mental, though, he gently patted the only part of me that he could reach which, in this case, was my elbow.

"I'll get us out," he promised me softly. That was all the warning I got before he was gripping me tighter and surging up, using his head like a battering ram to crack open the lid and send us into fresh air. Sweet, sweet fresh air.

Ignoring the chaos that had erupted around us, Lu set me carefully on my feet, where I instantly leaned over and began taking deep breaths. The queasiness passed quickly, thankfully, and then I was bending the opposite way, stretching my back and shoulders out as much as I could and hearing a series of _pops_ in response.

"Well, that was an experience," I finally commented once I was satisfied that the stiffness in my joints was gone. "I never want to do that again, mind, but it was definitely an experience."

"That was a really good nap," Luffy pointed out, as if he were trying to advocate for further travel-by-barrel.

"Yes, but great naps can be had anywhere," I told him patiently. He thought it over for a moment and then grinned in agreement.

"That's right! But, I'm really hungry now..." Almost like it was proving his words, Luffy's stomach let out an ungodly gurgling. At this signal, I finally turned to the stunned audience we'd been ignoring up until that point. Luffy, seeing the my attention had been stolen, looked their way as well. "Hey, who are you guys?"

" _Who the hell are you_?!" The three older men yelled out in indignant rage. The one in the stripes stepped closer, scowl deepening as he demanded, "Why would someone be coming out of a wine barrel?"

Before anyone could move or say much else, a furious roar of " _Stop slacking off_!" tore through the air only seconds before a spiked club crashed through the small building we were in, sending timber and bodies flying in it's wake. Luffy, who had still been standing in the barrel for whatever reason, had just enough time to grab hold of me before we were off, rolling once more as we traveled into a forest.

By the time we came to a violent halt against a tree, our mode of transportation finally giving up the ghost and splintering around us, the sick feeling of earlier had returned with a vengeance.

"Luffy..." I groaned out, laying face down in the grass. "... I'm going to kill you."

"Shishishi, sorry!" He yelled as he sat himself up, completely unharmed and not sounding apologetic in the least.

"Hey, um... you guys got knocked pretty far. Are you alright, did you get hurt?" A timid voice called out from the treeline. I glanced up, ignoring the smudge of dirt I could feel on my forehead, and laid eyes on Coby for the first time.

I had to admit, the manga hadn't really done him justice. His hair was a pale pink and hung around his face limply. His cheeks were plump with what was left of his baby fat, but the rest of his body was skinny, almost alarmingly so, causing the clothes he wore to hang from his slight frame. His large glasses took up most of his face but I could still see a bruise beginning to form on his cheek. His shoulders were hunched and his gaze was directed towards the ground, almost as if he were expecting to be hit just for talking. And he probably was.

"We're fine!" Luffy assured as he climbed to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Speak for yourself," I muttered and was promptly ignored.

"We're just surprised is all! I'm Luffy, and this is Lily. Where are we anyway?"

"Ah! You're on the pirate 'Iron Bludgeon' Alvida's island! This is her secret hideout. I'm a cabin boy on her ship, Coby."

"I see... Actually, that's not important."

"O-Oh..." Any confidence the boy had been able to gain so far was gone and I couldn't help but sigh as I finally pulled myself up off of the ground.

"Lu, manners!" I scolded, causing him to rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. You wouldn't happen to have a boat, would you? Ours got sucked into a whirlpool."

"Whirpool? You guys were in a whirpool?!"

"Mm, it was pretty scary," Luffy nodded.

"More like annoying. Thanks to that I have no idea how far off coarse we are," I grumbled. Though I guess in the end it didn't really matter. This had been my planned destination to begin with, hadn't it?

"Most people would have died," Coby pointed out, awe in his voice, before he shook himself. "But, if it's a boat you're looking for, you can take mine. I'm not sure... quite how well it'll hold up."

He led us through the trees for a few moments until we came upon what he was probably talking about. It did _look_ like a boat, after all. If you tilted your head and squinted, at least.

"Is this a coffin?" Luffy asked, completely serious. I snorted, even though it was a bit mean. The kid had obviously put a lot of work into it, even if he was no Shipwright.

"This is a boat I've spent two years secretly building," Coby admitted, and even though it was small, I could still hear a bit of pride in his tone.

"Two years?" I asked, brows furrowed. "And you don't want it? You're willing to give it to us, just like that?"

"Yeah... I don't want it anymore," he admitted quietly, even as he gripped the edge of it for dear life. "I was going to use it to run away. But I'm just too scared. I'll probably be a cabin boy my whole life, even if there's something else I want to do..."

"Then you should leave," Luffy's tone fully implied the unspoken ' _idiot'_.

"It's not that simple!" Coby shouted, making my brother and I both jump at the sudden volume. The boy started shaking his head vehemently and I was surprised that his glasses had yet to go flying. "I'm way too scared! Every time I think of the beating I'll get if Alvida-sama catches me, my legs just turn to jelly! Two years ago... I left my village to go fishing, but I ended up on her pirate ship instead! I had to become a cabin boy and it was only my knowledge on navigation that allowed me to stay alive this long...!"

"Wow, you're really stupid, huh?" My brother asked, blunt as always. "And you seem pretty wimpy. I don't like you!"

"Luffy, be nice!" I swatted him on the back of the head, causing him to pout at me when I knocked his hat off. "He's just a little kid, you know. You were a scaredy-cat crybaby once upon a time, too, don't forget!"

"Not when I was as old as him!"

"Yeah, but we had Ace to beat us into shape! He didn't!"

"Oh, I guess that's true," Luffy admitted, gazing at Coby with a new perspective and trying to wrap his head around the thought that there were people who had to grow up without Aces of their own. The boy jumped at the sudden attention, shaking even as he clenched his fists.

"You're not wrong... If only I was brave enough, I could..." He trailed off before looking up at us in curiosity. "Hey, why are you guys sailing?"

"To become the Pirate King." Luffy answered instantly.

"The P-P-P-Pirate King?!" The poor boy almost fell over himself in shock. "The Pirate King is the person who has everything in the world! Are you telling me that you're looking for the legendary _One Piece_?"

"That's right."

"You wanna die or something?! All the pirates in the world are looking for that treasure!"

"Well, so am I," Luffy shrugged, clearly not seeing his point.

"I-Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Coby yelled, shaking his head in panic. "To become the Pirate King in this era? There's no way! It's utterly impossible!"

My brother and I shared a glance before we both reached out and bobbed Coby on the head. It was a light hit, by our standards, but it still sent the kid tumbling backwards to the ground, clutching his head all the while.

"Ouch! Why'd you guys hit me?"

"Because I felt like it."

"Because you were hysterical."

"Oh, well..." Coby mumbled, rubbing at the bump forming on his forehead. "I'm used to it anyways."

"I'm not afraid of dying," Luffy spoke seriously, causing the younger boy to look up at him in shock. My brother slowly removed his precious hat, bringing it down so that he could stare at it fondly in much the same way Shanks used to. "It's my dream, after all, and so I don't mind dying for it. At least I'll know I tried. Though it's bound to be pretty tough, I'm pretty sure I can do it."

"That's what I'm here for," I informed Coby in a sly tone as I jostled Luffy with my elbow, eliciting a laugh from the rubber boy when I accidentally hit one of his ticklish spots. "It's my job to make sure this guy reaches his dream without dying on the way."

"Lily~," Lu whined at me, pouting.

"Do you... Do you think I'll also be able to accomplish my dream?" The boy before us asked, tears running down his face and frame trembling. I got the feeling this was the first ray of hope he'd seen in a long time. "If I'm willing to die for it?"

My brother and I both cocked our heads at him. "Hm?"

"Do you think I'll be able to... become a marine?"

"Marine?" Luffy asked, brows furrowed.

"Luffy-san, Lily-san, I know it means we'll be enemies! But joining the marines and catching bad guys has always been my dream! Do you think I can do it?"

"How should we know?" I asked, smiling when I saw a spark of determination in his eyes.

"No, I _will_ do it! I have to at least try!" He shouted with sudden passion. "I'd rather die trying to escape and accomplish my dream than be stuck here the rest of my life! And then Alvida-sama... I'll arrest people like her! In fact, I'll arrest her first!"

"Who are you going to arrest?!"

My brother and I both dodged out of the way of the falling mace nimbly, snagging Coby on the way. Alvida's advance hadn't been hard to track, even with Luffy's still mediocre grasp of Observation. Maybe it was mean of us not to give Coby some warning but he'd been shouting so loudly, full of fire, just a moment ago and I hadn't wanted to ruin that. Not until he'd been able to say all he had to.

Now, staring down the pirate captain that had terrorized him for the last two years, I could see that flame inside him being smothered pretty quickly by fear and couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It wasn't his fault, I knew. For someone like him, Alvida really did cut a pretty intimidating figure, especially with her malicious glare and spike-covered mace.

"Are you trying to escape from me, Coby?" The rotund woman asked in what was probably meant to be a sweet voice, if it weren't for how husky it was. "Is that why you hired these bounty hunters? It sure doesn't look like Roronoa Zoro to me..."

As her beady eyes swept over us and the wreckage she'd made of Coby's boat, her gaze fell on me and her lips pulled back into a hateful sneer. "You really expect to beat me with a tiny little scamp like this?" I blinked, a little thrown off by her clear hatred for me. We'd only just met, after all, and I hadn't actually done anything to her yet. "Anyway, before you die, I'll ask you this... Who is the most beautiful woman in all the seas?!"

"That'd be Lily, stupid," Luffy answered before Coby got a chance to, all the while digging his pinky into his nose. I squeaked in shock even as everyone else around us gaped in open disbelief.

"What... What the hell, Lu? I am not!" I disagreed instantly, unable to stop the embarrassed flush that was spreading up my neck and over my cheeks.

"But you're Lili," he told me, looking confused. "And you told me that it wasn't right to judge stuff like that based on how people looked but what kind of person they are. Lili is the best person I know, so that means she has to be the most beautiful, right?"

"Eeeh, that wasn't... really what I'd meant," I mumbled, my face now bright red. "I'd meant more that it wasn't nice to use appearance as a way to put someone down, because it wasn't as important as what they did."

"That's what I said," Luffy pouted and I sighed, giving up. He'd clearly already made up his mind and there wouldn't be any telling him different at this point.

"You..." Alvida gritted out, trembling with rage. "How dare you...!"

"Luffy, quick, repeat after me!" Coby commanded, grabbing my brother by the shoulders and shaking him. "In all the seas, Alvida-sama is the most... is the most..." He froze suddenly, seeming to finally catch himself. Shaking even harder in terror, he threw back his head and yelled out for everyone to hear, "Alvida is the rudest damned bitch in all the seas!"

Luffy completely lost it, falling into hysterics even as he shoved Coby behind him and at me. Even I couldn't help but snort rather unattractively, despite the fact that I now found myself with an armful of crying, trembling fourteen-year-old.

"You damn brat!" The pirate captain finally exploded, swinging her mace overhead in order to bring it crashing down on us, which instantly had Coby screaming in fright.

"Don't worry," I assured him through the ringing in my ears. This kid definitely had one hell of a voice. "She won't be able to hurt you."

"But what -" It was then that he finally seemed to notice that Luffy was standing guard before us. "Luffy-san!"

"All three of you," Alvida yelled, "need to die!" Her weapon landed on my brother's head with an almighty crash and then, after only a second, shattered into pieces. As the debris fell to the ground around him harmlessly, Luffy grinned smugly up at his attacker.

"Sorry, but that won't work," he informed her.

"What... what the hell are you?!" She demanded, stumbling away from him. Fear was starting to cloud her expression and it was obvious that she'd never seen anything like this before.

"I'm the guy who's gonna be Pirate King!" He answered cheerfully, even though I _knew_ he knew that wasn't what she'd meant. Without further fanfare, he cocked his fist back and slammed it solidly into Alvida's gut, sending the woman flying into the crowd of followers that had gathered at her back. She was out cold before she even hit the ground.

"Hey, you guys!" I called out to the members of her crew that were still standing, causing them to finch violently. "Get us a boat!"

"Yeah, Coby wants to join the marines!"

"Y-Yes! Right away!"

"Luffy-san... Lily-san..." Coby mumbled from where I still had my arms wrapped around him, tears flowing down his face. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't worry about it, kid," I assured him. "We needed to make a stop at the nearest Marine Base anyway, so it's not like it's out of the way."

"That's right!" Luffy agreed cheerfully. "We'll go there and then you can start your dream!"

This only caused the kid to sob harder, which had Luffy calling him out on being a crybaby and me patting his head in a poor attempt at comfort.

.

* * *

.

The boat was procured for us quickly, thanks to the pirate's fear of my brother, and in no time at all we were casting off from the island Coby had been trapped on for the last two years.

"What was that, anyway?" He finally got the nerve up to ask. "How did you break Alvida's club like that?"

"Ah, don't worry about it," I waved him off before my brother could answer. Haki wasn't something I wanted to get into at the moment. "My brother just has a really hard head."

"A hard head?!" He demanded incredulously. "It'd take more than a hard head to do that!"

"Shows what you know," I grumbled as I reached out to tap my knuckles harshly to Luffy's forehead. My brother swayed at the action but otherwise didn't react, which only seemed to freak Coby out more.

"Are you even human?!"

"What else would I be?" Luffy asked, cocking his head and causing Coby to splutter incoherently for a moment. Finally, he calmed down and decided to just drop that line of conversation as a lost cause.

"Anyway... you said you were going after One Piece, right, Luffy-san? Does that mean you're headed for the Grand Line?"

"That's right!"

"That place is known as the Pirate's Graveyard, you know," he informed us, voice hushed. He was clearly spooked by the very idea of such a place.

"Mm, and that's why we need to get strong crewmates first," Luffy told him, unconcerned. "And one of them's being held at that place we're going!"

"Being held at... Wait! You don't mean Roronoa Zoro, do you?!"

"Yeah! If he's a good guy, I'll ask him to join our crew!" I couldn't help but laugh as Coby proceeded to freak out once more and Luffy turned away from him, no longer interested when it became clear that the boy only knew of Zoro based on second-hand stories and not fact.

"You can't ask him! That guy's a monster!"

"We don't know that yet," I pointed out, causing him to turn to me instead, his expression begging for me to think rationally.

"It'll never work! That guy's known as a demon! Rumor says he's a blood-thirsty hound who hunts down fugitives across the sea! He's a monster in the form of a man!"

"You're only basing that on what you've heard from others," I admonished. "Don't ignore rumors but don't just accept them as fact, either. Information has a way of getting warped when it's passed along by so many people."

"But... But everyone says he's a monster! How could they all be wrong?" He demanded and I sighed at him, annoyed.

"Maybe he's just really strong?" I suggested, shrugging. "Being strong doesn't mean he's a bad person."

"But being caught by the marines does! He was arrested _because_ he's bad!"

Even Luffy was giving him a look full of pity at this point. I sighed again and shook my head at him, dropping the conversation.

He'd learn soon enough.

.

* * *

.

The first clear thing we saw of Shells Town was the Marine Base, which towered over everything else.

It had probably originally given the citizens peace of mind, knowing that trouble would be spotted quickly and that the marines were watching over their safety. I couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the foreboding building, though. It was clear to me that this tower was more meant to watch the citizens themselves than anything else.

"Ah, we finally made it!" Luffy cheered after we'd docked, hopping onto dry land and stretching. I followed his lead, happy to be on solid ground again instead of cramped in our tiny raft. "You guys sure are amazing!"

"Why do you say that, Luffy-san?" Coby asked, face turning as pink as his hair at the praise.

"You actually got us to our destination!"

I stared my brother down, deadpan. "Yeah, the miracles of basic navigation."

"It's a good thing you're with him, Lily-san," Coby muttered at my brother only laughed. When I cocked an eyebrow at him, he explained, "He'd probably spend days drifting at sea aimlessly without you."

"Well, you're not wrong," I told him, remembering that in canon, that was exactly what he and Zoro had done before they met Nami.

"Alright, let's go eat!" Luffy commanded. I fell into step with him instantly. While I wasn't as controlled by my stomach as he tended to be, I could fully admit that, after not having eaten in close to five hours, I was _starving_. Following our noses, it didn't take long to find a restaurant and we wasted no time in sitting down and ordering practically everything on the menu.

Coby watched on in morbid fascination as we ate, each dish of food disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared. I tried to eat a bit more neatly, I really did, but Luffy was there and ready to take advantage of any opening I gave him. Which meant I had to eat my food as fast as I was able, otherwise it'd be going into my brother's bottomless pit of a stomach instead.

"Phew! That sure was good!" Luffy crowed out once all the plates were empty. He rubbed at his slightly enlarged abdomen in satisfaction before grinning up at Coby, who was still gaping at us. "We'll go our separate ways here!"

"Yeah, make sure you become a great marine, okay?" I asked, which seemed to finally jolt him back into reality. His eyes quickly filled with tears of gratitude.

"I will! Thank you, thank you so much!" He cried. "And you have to become great pirates, too! Even though it means we'll be enemies in the future..."

"Hm, I wonder if Zoro is still being held at the Marine..." My brother trailed off as, all around us, the room exploded into chaos. The patrons that had been peacefully dining just a moment ago were now pressed to the wall, expressions full of sheer terror as they left tables and dishware scattered about the floor in their wake.

"Ah, it looks like we can't just yell out the name Zoro here," Coby whispered to us. Then he straightened up, voice returning to normal volume as the people calmed themselves and attempted to return to their seats. "I saw a notice on the streets on the way here, there's someone called Captain Morgan at the -"

And there they went again, scattering what they'd only just righted on their way to press themselves against the wall, gazing back at us in sheer terror.

I sighed, feeling like this was bound to be a long day. Not wanting to be responsible for multiple fear-induced heart attacks, I quickly payed our tab and dragged both boys our the door. Coby was dumbstruck, unable to understand, while my brother was just laughing.

"Shishishishi, this town is so funny!"

"That's strange, though. I have a really bad feeling," Coby told us, brows furrowed. "I could understand them being scared of Roronoa's name, as he could escape at any moment. By why would they be scared of a Marine Captain, too?"

"Maybe he did something bad," Luffy suggested, crossing his arms behind his head as he went.

"That's impossible!" The pink-haired boy looked annoyed that my brother would even suggest such a thing.

"We're serious, though," I muttered, but refrained from commenting further as we'd finally reached out destination. "Wow, this place is kinda ugly up close, huh?"

Luffy nodded in agreement before turning to pat Coby on the shoulder. "Go ahead, Coby. Good luck!"

"A-Ah... I'm not p-prepared, yet...Besides, that incident at the restaurant got me thinking..." But we weren't listening anymore, having already scaled the wall surrounding the base. "Hey!"

"I wonder where Zoro is?" Luffy asked, excited smile pulled at his face. I smirked at him smugly.

"What, you don't sense him?" I taunted. His face pulled into an exaggerated pout before he huffed and closed his eyes, brow furrowing in concentration. I waited for him patiently, knowing that our target was on the other side of the base, which was pretty far for Luffy's level of mastery.

"You can't find him that easily!" The kid called up to us in exasperation. "He's probably being held in a secret room or something."

"Nope, he's over there!" Luffy grinned as his eyes shot back open, satisfaction rolling off of him in waves when I nodded. "Let's go!"

With that he hopped back to the ground and took off running. I was following just a step behind. I could tell Coby was having trouble as he yelled for us to wait, probably not used to this level of physical endurance, but I couldn't make myself slow down for him. We were about to meet Roronoa Zoro. _The_ Roronoa Zoro! I might have gotten a bit desensitized to it, what with growing up next to the main character and all, but that didn't mean I couldn't still fangirl a bit in the safety of my own head.

We pulled ourselves easily onto the section of wall nearest to his still-imposing but weakened aura and I felt my breath catch at the sight of him. Because he looked half-dead already, hanging limply from his bonds in the boiling heat as he was. The manga hadn't gone into detail, not really, simply stating that he'd already been tied there and starving for nine days. But it was so much worse than that.

His cheeks were gaunt and hollowed out, the bags under his eyes a dark, bruising blue. His complexion was a sickly pale despite the obvious sunburn that was searing away at his arms and face. He was littered in bruises and covered in dried blood, some of it even still dripping from his split lip. And, god, the _smell._

It made sense, once I'd actually thought about it. Of course that bratty little daddy's boy wouldn't let Zoro take bathroom breaks. He'd want the swordsman to be as humiliated as possible, to prove in every way he could that the man was powerless. I gagged, though whether at the thought that anyone could do such a thing or at the fact that we were currently downwind, I had no idea.

By that time, Coby had finally managed to pull himself onto the wall next to me, though his arms were visibly trembling with the effort. He took one look into the field and almost screeched in fear, losing his grip and falling backwards. I caught him easily, saving him from hitting the ground, and dragged him back up until he was slumped over the top, feet and arms dangling limply on either side as he could only stare in horror.

"Th-That black bandanna... The c-c-cloth around his waist! The intimidating aura! That's Zoro! That's definitely Roronoa Zoro!" He finally cried out.

"So, that's Zoro, huh?" Luffy mumbled, eyes scanning the limp figure before us almost solemnly. "Those ropes look pretty easy to break."

"Stop joking around!" Coby commanded, finally jolting out of his stupor to stare at my brother incredulously. "He could make a mess of the town and even kill you!"

"Hey, you," a hoarse voice called out before I could respond and, as one, we all turned our attention back to the very man we were discussing. "Could you please... come over here and untie me? I've been tied up for nine days and I'm exhausted."

"Oh, he's smiling," Luffy pointed out, frowning at the sight. I felt a frown of my own tugging at my face at the sight.

"I'll repay you," the man offered, though there was a disturbing emptiness in his expression. "I'll hunt someone down and give you the reward. I'm not lying, I'll keep my word."

This wasn't right, I couldn't help but think. This was practically begging, by Zoro's standards. Was he really in that bad of shape? I would've thought that even coughing up blood, Zoro would never stoop so low as to ask for help like this, especially not to a couple of strangers. Then again, he was probably delirious and extremely dehydrated, as well as starved. Maybe, in this state, it wasn't as unlikely as it seemed.

"D-Don't do it, Luffy-san!" Coby begged, shaking violently at the very possibility. "Don't be tricked by his words! If you set him free, he'll kill you!"

My brother simply scoffed. "He can't kill me. Even _I_ can sense that I'm stronger than him."

"He's right, you know," I shrugged when the kid turned his wide-eyed gaze on me. "Especially as weakened as he is, that guy wouldn't pose much of a threat to us."

"What was that?" The man in question demanded through gritted teeth. I smiled, glad that he'd stopped the act he'd been pulling before.

"We're not trying to be offensive," I assured him. "You're still stronger than most of the people on this island, even the marines. My brother and I are anomalies."

"Anomalies?" Luffy asked, not recognizing the word.

"Not like most people," I explained absently, as my attention had been stolen by the tiny presence that was quickly approaching us from the town. I turned my head just in time to see a ladder come to rest against the wall on Coby's other side, the soft noise drawing the attention of both boys. And up climbed a little girl, looking only seven or eight, who could only be Rika. Seeing our stares, she shushed us firmly before swinging her leg around, clearly prepared to drop down.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I whispered harshly before she could, causing her to pause and look at me rebelliously. "You could really hurt yourself if you go down like that. Here, let me help."

As soon as it was clear I wasn't actually trying to stop her, she smiled at me in delight. "Thanks, Nee-chan!"

I scooped her up gently before leaping the short distance to the ground, landing soundlessly. As soon as she was set back on her feet, the little girl was off like a shot, making a beeline for the gruff man before us. Said man didn't look happy in the least about this development and was, in fact, doing everything in his currently limited power to scare the kid away.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, glare firmly in place. "Do you wanna die? Get lost!"

"Ah, Luffy-san, stop them!" Coby cried from behind me. "They'll be killed."

I didn't even have to look to know my brother was rolling his eyes. "You do it, then."

"I made these for you, Nii-sama!" Rika informed him with a large smile, not at all put-off by his unwelcoming attitude as she held up two rice balls. "You haven't eaten in a long time, right?"

As Zoro continued to try to cajole her into leaving with ever-increasing levels of what appeared to be anger, I could see the way his eyes continued to dart towards the gate nervously. Focusing in that direction, I soon found out why. There were three auras making their way towards us, none of which were very strong. Two of them just felt scared and hopeless. The third felt smug. The only way I could really describe it was to say that he felt like an ugly sneer.

Which turned out to be a pretty apt description as the figure had one on his face when he finally ambled into view, dressed in an ostentatious suit and decked out in gaudy jewelry. The two marines flanking him looked as if they'd rather be anywhere else but at his side.

"Now, now, Zoro." He called out chidingly and I couldn't help but wince at the very sound of his voice. "It isn't very nice to pick on women and children, you know. I might have to tell my father on you."

"Tch, if it isn't the Marine Captain's bastard son..." Zoro mumbled, clearly trying to come off as annoyed, even though he only looked apprehensive to me.

"He looks important," I could hear Coby speaking quietly behind us in obvious relief and it took everything in me not to roll my eyes in response. "Thank god, Lily-san and that girl will definitely be safe now."

" _Bastard_?" The blond was demanding, face twisting as he held his hand behind his ear, as if checking to see if he'd heard correctly. "Don't get cocky, my father is a Marine Captain!" And then his gaze was landing on Rika. Or, more accurately, the food that she held. "Well, hello there, little girl. Those rice balls look pretty tasty"

I grabbed his wrist as he reached for them, stopping him midway. When he turned wide, disbelieving eyes at me, I only squeezed harder, until I could feel the bone grinding in my hold, causing him to flinch. "Those aren't for you."

"How dare you?" He cried out, trying desperately to pull away from me as I remained there, unmoving and not giving a single inch. "Don't you know who I am?!"

"Not really," I shrugged, the lie coming easily. I smirked as I released him and he went flying backwards, hitting the ground hard. I could hear Luffy snickering behind me at the sight and even Zoro was huffing in obvious amusement. The two marines were quick to help him back to his feet and dust him off until he stood before me once more, looking a bit disheveled but none the worse for wear.

"I am Helmeppo, son of the great Marine Captain Morgan!" He informed me, chest puffed out pathetically at the proclamation. Then he smirked, clearly expecting me to grovel at his feet now that I knew his identity. "I'm willing to overlook it and forgive you just this once. But, in return, you'll have to become my woman."

"Yeah, that's not happening," I told him, nose wrinkling at the very idea. "You're very, _very_ much not my type."

"Excuse me?" He gaped, not having seen that coming. His face was growing steadily more red in anger before he finally called out, "Guards, throw the girl out and capture this woman!"

"What?!" Both officers exclaimed, taken aback by the order. The blond spun on them instantly, even going so far as to grasp one by the shirt and shake him.

"Are you trying to disobey me? I'll tell my father!"

"N-No! Sorry, sir, r-right away, sir!" And with that they advanced on us, Helmeppo standing smug a safe distance behind them. I did nothing as one of them picked Rika up, telling her to roll into a ball to better protect from the impact before tossing her over the wall. I trusted in my brother to not let any harm come to her. Instead I focused my gaze solely on the blond before me who was already relaxing at his perceived victory.

"I won't kill you," he assured me in what he probably thought was kindness. "I'll only keep you until you bow down on your knees and beg for me to let you be mine."

"Why are you so full of yourself?" I asked. "You're really weak."

"I'm the son of a Marine Captain!"

"So? I'm the granddaughter of a Vice-Admiral." I didn't want to throw that fact around, especially now that I was a pirate. I would never be the type of person to hide behind the achievements and strengths of others. Still, though, the look on their faces as I divulged this bit of information was definitely priceless. Even Zoro was gaping at me in open disbelief.

"Y-You're lying!" Helmeppo finally yelled out, trying desperately to gain control of the situation. I merely laughed at him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I waved him off before turning to Zoro. "Did you want me to untie you?"

"...No," he sighed, gaze drifting to where Helmeppo looked about ready to have an aneurysm. "I made a deal with this kid. I'm not about to go back on it now."

I shrugged at him, refraining from pointing out that he'd been all for going back on it only minutes before. It was clear that the commotion had helped clear his head a bit, returning him to his senses. "If you're sure."

With that I walked away, not paying any heed to the screaming blond behind me as I scaled the wall and locked onto my brother's location. He was still waiting on the road, though he was alone, probably having sent Coby to take Rika home. He smiled at me in greeting as I landed by his side but said nothing, head cocked to listen to what was being said in the compound. Helmeppo was reminding Zoro once more of their deal, declaring that he planned to watch him suffer the whole month but would keep his word to release him afterwards, something I already knew to be untrue.

Luffy waited only a moment after silence descended to begin climbing the wall once more.

"Have you decided on him yet?" I asked as I watched him go, smiling when I spotted the rice balls he was holding securely in his hand. He shook his head at me.

"Not yet. I want to talk to him first."

"Alright. I'm gonna go catch up with Rika and Coby, though, okay?" Then I smirked. "Have fun finding us."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled at me. And then he was over the edge and out of sight, landing on the other side with barely a _thump_. I snickered at the vague annoyance I could feel coming from him and made my way to where I could sense Coby's weak aura, back at the restaurant we'd eaten at earlier.

Luffy had some magic to work and I was perfectly content to leave him to it.

.

* * *

.

" _Really_?" Rika squealed in delight from where we stood, gathered outside what was apparently her mother's restaurant.

"Mm, he ate all of it," Luffy assured.

"I'm so happy!"

"Is he really the horrible person his reputation says he is?" Coby wondered out loud, unable to wrap his head around the fact that someone so allegedly bad could do something so kind.

"He's not!" Rika insisted, looking distressed at the very insinuation. "Zoro-nii hasn't done anything wrong! It's my fault he's tied up like that! That horrible Helmeppo was letting his pet wolf run wild and everyone was scared... It attacked me but Zoro-nii killed it! He saved me!"

"So, he only got arrested for killing that onion-head's wolf?" Luffy asked, to which Rika nodded.

"He might have a bad temper, but... chasing down fugitives isn't a crime, either," Coby admitted as he straightened his glasses nervously.

"The only bad guys are the Morgan's," Rika scoffed, clutching her knees to her chest and glaring at the ground. I narrowed my eyes, hating the fact that such a young girl had such a hopeless expression on her face. "You'll be executed if you do anything to disobey them. That's why everyone's so scared."

"Speak of the devil," I mumbled as I perked up, recognizing the aura that was swaggering it's way down the street. Luffy closed his eyes immediately to see what I was talking about, then scowled when he came to the same conclusion I had. I blinked at him, surprised by just how much dislike was held in his expression. Yeah, the guy was annoying, but my brother wasn't usually the type to take things so personally.

And then I remembered that he'd probably heard everything Helmeppo had said to me earlier and fought the urge to sigh. Luffy wasn't anywhere near as bad as Ace had been, there at the end, but he was still bad enough. He never interfered, allowing me to rain down my own judgement on anyone who thought they could get away with leering and catcalling at me. Still, though, he had a particular dislike for anyone trying to claim possession over me and Helmeppo claiming that he'd make me his earlier had clearly hit a nerve. It didn't help that what the blond was saying now was only digging his own grave deeper.

"Who dares raise their head? I'll tell my dad!" He chortled as citizens were forced to bow to their knees before him on either side of the road. The image instantly had anger rushing through me, a snarl slipping through my lips and causing both Coby and Rika to glance at me in alarm. "Do you want to be like Roronoa Zoro? I'm going to execute him in three days! He'll make a great example for you all! It's gonna be pretty interesting!"

"Three days?" Luffy demanded, stepping forward into the street. "You said you'd give him a month."

"Who are you? How rude!" Helmeppo's cheeks puffed up in indignation as he waved my brother's words away. "I was only joking. Only an idiot would believe that!"

He'd only just started laughing once more when Luffy lunged forward, grabbing hold of the front of his suit and decking him squarely in the jaw. The officers trailing behind him were too stunned to move, let alone try to stop him.

"Luffy-san, please stop!" Coby cried out in alarm, grasping the rubber boy from behind in an effort to hold him back. "You'll make an enemy of the marines!"

I took the distraction to lunge forward, planting my foot on the ground and pivoting, kick landing right on the crown of the blond's head and sending him sailing into the wall of a building. Once he'd landed on the ground, blood dripped from his mouth and nose, smile frozen on his face from his sudden decent into unconsciousness. The marines ran to his side instantly, frantic, while I scowled at the lot of them.

"Who the fuck does this kid think he is? Some wannabe Celestial Dragon?" I demanded, causing everyone but my brother to flinch at the rage in my voice. "What in the hell makes it okay for him to force others to bow to him like that? You're marines! You're supposed to be the ones holding him responsible for his actions, not condoning them!"

"W-We can't!" One of them stuttered out, pale faced and shaking. "We'll be killed!"

"So what?" I scoffed, placing my hands on my hips as I scolded them. "When you enlist, you're signing your life away for the pursuit of upholding justice, aren't you? If you were just going to spend your days shaking away in your boots and too afraid to make a difference then you should've never joined in the first place!"

"That's right!" Coby yelled out, suddenly standing by my side and looking just as infuriated as I did. "Marines are supposed to help people feel safe, not become the reason they're scared!"

Helmeppo's form twitched and he groaned, eyes blinking open slowly before he bolted up in shock, hand held to his swelling cheek. "You hit me!" He yelled out, incredulously. "You actually hit me! Even my own father has never done such a thing!"

"Yeah, so what?" Luffy taunted, cracking his knuckles as if he planned on attacking again.

"I'm Captain Morgan's son!" He screamed out, tears of pain brimming in his eyes. The citizens began murmuring to themselves, clearly afraid of what was to happen now that someone had acted out in such a way. The marines lifted him up, bracing him against their shoulders, all the while avoiding mine and Coby's judgmental gazes. "I'll tell my father about this! He'll execute you with his own hands!"

"Fight me yourself!" My brother yelled after him in annoyance as they hurried away, back towards the Base. He sighed as they disappeared out of sight, turning back to us. "It's worthless hitting guys like that."

"Sure felt good, though," I growled. It seemed as though the gravity of what just happened was finally hitting the pink-haired boy beside me, though, as he began shaking and sweating.

"Oh, no, we've really done it now!" He fretted. "We've made the marines our enemies!"

"Silly Coby," I admonished gently, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "My brother and I are pirates. The marines would have been our enemies either way."

"But not me!" Coby cried out in desperation. "I was supposed to come here to join them, not antagonize them!"

"Don't worry about it. If anything, you probably just helped your chances. As long as we get rid of the Morgans first, that is. We _are_ getting rid of them, right?" I asked my brother, who nodded at me, fierce scowl still firmly in place.

"I've decided," he told me seriously. "I want Zoro on our crew."

I smirked. Even knowing that this was the destined outcome, it was still nice to hear. "Aye aye, Captain."

.

* * *

.

Luffy and I made our way back to the base quickly despite Coby's calls for us to wait. I felt a bit bad for leaving the boy behind but not enough to actually slow down. Now that my brother had made his decision, Zoro was a part of our crew, whether he'd actually agreed to it yet or not. Coby wasn't, which meant that right now, the green-haired swordsman was our biggest priority.

We wasted no time in scaling the wall and found the man we were looking for exactly the same as we'd left him, tied to his post and glaring at nothing. He didn't even notice our approach until we were right in front of him, concentrating as he was on ignoring his pain and hunger.

"Yo!" Luffy raised his hand in greeting, all traces of his earlier anger gone.

"You again?" Zoro muttered. His steely eyes flickered to me for a moment before he returned his gaze to my brother. "I already told you I don't want to be a pirate."

"I'm Luffy!" The rubber boy introduced, ignoring him completely, much to his obvious annoyance. "If I untie these ropes, you're gonna join me, okay?"

"Don't you listen? I just told you I didn't want to!" Zoro snapped before regaining his composure. "I have things I need to do. Besides, I'm not going to become a bad guy."

"What's the difference?" Luffy pouted. "Everyone already thinks you're a bad guy anyways."

"It doesn't matter what people think! I haven't done anything I've regretted in the past and I don't plan to do so in the future! I won't become a pirate!"

"Hmph, I don't care what you say, you're going to join me."

"Don't decide that for yourself!"

"Hey... you use a sword, don't you?" Luffy suddenly asked, bringing the man up short. "Where is it?"

"That bastard son took it," Zoro scoffed. "It's what I treasure the most, other than my life."

"You really shouldn't have said that," I informed him, shaking my head, causing his eyes to narrow dangerously.

"Oooh, a treasure, huh?" Luffy asked, sounding impressed. "It must be something great. Alright! I'll go where that bastard kid is and get your sword back!"

"What?"

"But if you want me to return it to you, you'll have to join me," my brother smirked, clearly satisfied with himself for thinking up such a plan.

"What?! That's dirty!" Zoro yelled, enraged, as he tried futilely to kick out at him. Luffy danced away from him easily before running towards the base. "Hey! Wait! You idiot! Are you planning to break in?!"

"That's exactly what he's planning," I told Zoro seriously, though I couldn't quite wipe the amused smirk from my face. "Even though he could've just asked me. Stubborn idiot."

"Aren't you going to stop him? He's gonna get himself killed!"

"Nah, he'll be fine," I waved off his concern, deciding instead to start working on his bonds. "Anyway, let's get you down from there, yeah?"

"No! I have a deal, alright, and I'm not going back on my word," he glared as I continued tugging at the knots in the rope.

"You might not be planning to but that kid sure is," I said before calling out to the presence that was now huffing and puffing away behind me. "Hey, Coby."

"Y-You guys just... Just t-took off!" He admonished, hands braced on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I mumbled absently, not sounding sorry at all. These knots were really tight!

"Hold up, go back to what you said before!" Zoro commanded. "What about that bastard kid?"

"He was going through the town, bragging that he's going to execute you in three days."

"That's right! Luffy-san and Lily-san were so mad, they both hit him!" Coby proclaimed. As soon as he had caught his breath he was stepping forward to work on the ropes on the swordsman's other side.

"What did you just say?" Zoro's eyes had gone wide.

 _BANG!_

The moment I heard the shot ring out, I was darting forward and yanking Coby out of the way, letting the bullet pass by him to lodge into the ground harmlessly. As the boy gasped in fright at the close call, Zoro and I both turned to glare up at the roof, where it had been aimed from, and met the cold eyes of who I could only assume was the Captain, based on the metal platting on his jaw and the ax he had in place of a right hand.

"Cowards," I snarled, even knowing they couldn't hear me. "Taking shots at an unarmed child."

"Oi, oi, you guys need to get out of here!" The green-haired man told us with a new sense of urgency. "Those guys will kill you if you don't."

"We can't just leave you!" Coby protested and I couldn't help but be a bit proud. He was obviously scared but his determination continued to shine through. "You should have never been arrested to begin with! I hate marines like that. I'll become a _real_ marine, just like Luffy-san is going to become the Pirate King!"

"Pirate King? Are you serious?"

"I know it sounds farfetched. And I won't ask you to join his pirate crew. But please help him! Luffy-san saved me and he's really strong! I know that together you'll be able to save this town! Please!"

"What am I, chopped liver?" I grumbled. These ropes weren't coming off the old fashioned way, it was becoming apparent. Fed up with trying, I simply shrugged and unsheathed my Jambiya, which had been buckled to my hip. I began sawing away immediately, easily sensing the cluster of auras that were making their way to us. "Help us or not, it doesn't really matter. Luffy's got this one in the bag easily. If you want your swords back, though, you'll have to join us either way."

I smirked when he growled at me but he had no chance to reply as the group I'd been expecting finally arrived, riffles aimed and ready to fire on us. I could see that each of them looked uneasy, clearly not comfortable with shooting at kids but they'd do it anyway, scared for their lives as they were.

"That's enough!" One of them called out to us. "The three of you have betrayed Captain Morgan! Prepare to die here!"

Zoro grit his teeth as their fingers began to tighten on the triggers and Coby began crying, sobs hitching his chest uncontrollably. I rolled my eyes at the lot of them, paying no attention to the officers as I continued hacking away at the ropes. What the fuck were these things made out of? Steel?

"Surround the base! Don't let the brat with the straw hat escape!" An voice commanded as the Captain came into view once more, jacket hanging from his broad shoulders and posing quite the intimidating figure. "How interesting... Do the four of you plan to cause political upheaval?"

"Not really," I told him in a dull voice, not even looking up at him. "All we really want is to kick your ass."

He ground his teeth in anger at my words. "How dare you speak to me like that, you worm! I've heard much about you, Roronoa Zoro, but you should never have underestimated me. Before my might, you're all nothing but garbage! Ready and aim! FIRE!"

There was a crash above as the firing squad began shooting and, within the space of a heartbeat, Luffy had landed before us, taking the bullets with his rubbery body and firing them back at twice the speed. Exclamations of shock rang out around the place, no one quite believing what it was they were seeing. Poor Coby had even passed out, the stress becoming too much for him to handle.

"What the hell took you so long?" I demanded, turning to give him a scolding look. He grinned at me sheepishly.

"I couldn't find the room and had to track down that onion-head. But then he passed out." He turned to Zoro, three swords held out between them. "So, I don't know which one's yours. I just grabbed all three."

"All three are mine," he answered absently. "You... What are you?"

"The guys who's gonna be Pirate King," Luffy smirked. I laughed at the ambiguous answer. In canon, he'd answered like that sincerely, but now he was definitely doing it to mess with people. I'd clearly been a horrible influence. "You know, resisting the marines here with me is going to mark you as a criminal. Or maybe you want to die...?"

"You really are a demon," Zoro scoffed but he was smirking himself, clearly amused. "Forget it. I'd rather accept your offer and become a pirate than die here."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered, raising his arms up in victory. "We have a companion!"

"Just get these ropes off of me, already."

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" I grumbled. "These things are fucking indestructible or something." As if to prove me wrong, the rope I'd been working on frayed apart at that exact moment, unraveling from around his left arm. He gave me a look as he freed it, causing me to pout and stomp away from him, muttering about ' _stupid devil rope_ ' all the while.

"That kid... he's not normal," Morgan spoke up, voice hushed as if revealing some almighty secret. "He must have eaten one of the Devil's Fruits."

"He ate the ocean's secret treasure?!"

"Is that why he has such special abilities?"

"Don't let any of them escape!" The Captain commanded and his men charged forward instantly. "If guns don't work, use swords!"

"Hurry, just give me my swords!" Zoro ordered as he saw the incoming attack.

"All those who oppose me must perish!"

"Sheesh, all these people sure are noisy, huh?" I asked Luffy, wiggling my finger in my ear and wincing. He nodded seriously at me even as he finally passed our swordsman his treasure, allowing him to cut his way free and block the assault easily, even in his clearly weakened state.

"Move," he growled around the hilt of the sword in his mouth, "and I'll kill you."

"Oh, wow! He's really cool!"

"Yeah, can't deny that," I agreed, watching as the officers wept in fear.

"I already told you I'd join you," Zoro stated, glancing up to meet Luffy's gaze. My brother sobered instantly, sensing how serious this was. "Either way, after this, I'll be labeled a criminal. But that doesn't matter! All that matters to me is my ambition. Good guy, bad guy, I don't care if my name remains clean or not. As long as it's known worldwide... as the World's Greatest Swordsmen!"

I drew in a slow breath, awed at the single-minded determination Zoro held. I knew that it was important to him, more important than almost anything, especially at this stage. But to feel the very _presence_ , the _weight_ of his words... It was like the first time Luffy had declared his dream to Shanks, shouting it out with all his heart.

"If you do something that ends up getting in the way of my goal," he continued, tone full of warning, "I'll have you cut open your own stomach to say sorry!"

I stiffened immediately at the threat, unable to help myself, but Luffy merely laughed it off. "Greatest Swordsman, huh? As a member of the Pirate King's crew, if you couldn't even accomplish something that small, I'd be pretty embarrassed."

"Heh," Zoro smirked at him, "good answer."

"What are you standing there for?!" Morgan yelled out, breaking the moment. "Finish them off!"

"Don't you know history is being made?" I asked, admonishing. "Really, how rude can you get?"

"Shishishi, Zoro, Lily! Duck!" I didn't need to be told twice and apparently neither did Zoro, both of us dropping down low before the word was even fully out of his mouth. I felt the displacement of air as his leg swept over us, taking the officers with it, sending them tumbling across the field.

"Oh! Cool!" I heard Coby yell out in astonishment from a few feet away where he'd apparently regained consciousness.

"What are you?" Zoro asked again, frowning at the sight of my brother's leg returning to it's original shape.

"Ah, I'm a rubberman!"

"Rubberman?"

"Mm, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi and so now I'm made of rubber," he confirmed cheerfully.

"R-Rubberman? Captain! There's no way we can fight against that!"

"We can't kill these two!"

"They're too strong!"

"W-We can't even defeat Zoro...!"

"This is an order," Morgan's voice was low and full of menace, "whoever just spoke... get a gun and kill yourself."

"What the fuck?" I demanded, my disbelief only rising when they actually proceeded to grab their riffles and aim them at their temples. "What the _fuck_?!" Both Luffy and I ran at the same time, Luffy for the Captain and I towards the suicidal idiots who clearly needed to have some sense beaten back into them.

I rushed forward, grabbing one by the arm and swinging myself up, yanking gun from his hands as I twisted my leg around his throat. I had just enough time to swing the butt of it at the guy next to him, bashing him in the forehead, before he lost his balance at my unexpected weight. I used the opportunity to push off of him, sending him crashing to the ground, and spun midair before I landed feet first on the next guy, hooking my arm around the last in a pseudo-clothesline on the way down. Within seconds, all four of them were either unconscious or groaning on the ground, but alive.

"Your life isn't something to just give up that easily!" I yelled at them, even knowing they probably couldn't hear me through the ringing of the heads. "Who the fuck cares if you're ordered to or if you're scared?! You live on anyway, you idiots! There are enough people dying senselessly everyday as it is, no need to add more to the death toll!"

I turned my attention back to Luffy's fight just in time to watch him jump over a swipe of the ax. Said swipe then proceeded to tear into the nearby fence and wall, slicing it cleanly in half. I had to admit, weak as this guy was by our standards, he was probably pretty tough for East Blue. Unluckily for him, he had the misfortune of pissing both me and my brother off, even if my twin wasn't showing it.

Luffy brought his legs down on the Captain's face, sending the man crashing to the ground while he himself landed gracefully a short distance away. Morgan was back on his feet in moments, swinging almost wildly in his anger. All the while Luffy was dodging easily and I had to wonder just what it was he was doing. He could've ended this fight minutes ago, so what was he playing at?

My question was answered soon enough as Luffy spun around and I saw that his eyes were, in fact, shut. He was using this as a chance to train his Observation Haki, clearly having pegged the marines here as too weak to go against him even if he wasn't able to see them. _No wonder Morgan was getting so pissed,_ I thought with a snicker.

"He's not even looking," Zoro observed in awe, clearly having seen what I had.

"Nah, he's just using this as a training exercise now," I informed him as I slouched over to where he stood. This fight was over, whether they knew it or not, which meant that my work was done. Though, I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something... "I can't really blame him, either. This guy is stronger than what we're used to dealing with, but he's still weak enough to not be a threat. Who knows how many chances like this we'll get out on the seas?"

"Captain Morgan..."

"...Can't even hit him!"

Finally, it seemed as if my brother had gotten bored, as it was obvious that Morgan wasn't going to be able to catch him. He twisted around a strike, bringing his leg up after him to kick the Captain across the face and send him flying. Following after quickly, Luffy grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and held him up, venomous glare on his face.

"Some marine you are," he spat, fist cocked back in preparation for a hit. "Ruining Coby's dream and abusing the people you're supposed to be in charge of. It's your job to protect them, not terrorize them!"

"STOP!"

Zoro and I both flinched at the sudden yell, and even Luffy froze for a moment before carrying out his punch anyway, socking the marine Captain straight in the jaw.

"I said stop, you idiot!" I turned slowly, already knowing what I was about to see, and couldn't help but ground my teeth in annoyance. I _knew_ there was something I'd been forgetting. Because there stood Coby, shaking and stiff, while Helmeppo held a pistol aimed directly at his head. "If you want this guy to survive, then don't move! Anyone moves, and I'll shoot!"

"Luffy, I... I don't want to be in your way!" Coby yelled out, defiant despite his wobbly knees. "I'm not afraid of death!"

"Shishishi, I know," Luffy smiled reassuringly, stepping away from his opponent without a care. I went to step forward instantly but paused, seeing that Zoro was already moving. I smiled at the sight. It felt good to know that I wouldn't be the only one watching my foolish Captain's back anymore. "Hear that, you shitty onion-head? Coby's not afraid of death."

"Hey, you idiot! I told you not to move, or I'd shoot!" Helmeppo's hand began to shake, sweat pouring down his face as he realized that Luffy was already cocking his fist and wasn't likely to stop.

"Go ahead and shoot!"

"Luffy, behind you!" Coby cried out as Morgan loomed over my brother, ax raised and ready to swing down.

"I am the great Marine Captain!"

"Daddy, please hurry!" The blond squeaked, eyes squeezing shut in anticipation of pain. And he wasn't disappointed, for only a second later Luffy's fist was driving into his cheek and knocking him safely away from the pink-haired boy. At the same time, Zoro had dashed forward, blades almost singing as they slashed through the air, leaving a trail of blood spewing from the downed Captain's chest.

"Nice, Zoro!" My brother complimented, grin firmly in place.

"Leave it to me... Captain."

"Aw, aren't you two just the cutest?" I cooed at them, causing the both of them to pull faces at me.

"Captain Morgan lost..."

"The Captain's been defeated!"

Mutters broke out amongst the officers still standing, causing both my brother and the swordsman to stiffen, eyeing the crowd around us apprehensively.

"If you still want to arrest us, you're welcome to try," Zoro invited, eyes narrowed dangerously. The marines all shared looks and then, as one, cheered. And not just any cheering but full-on, hats-in-the-air and bro-hugs all around cheering.

"We're free!"

"We're out of Morgan's control!"

"Long live the Marines!"

"What the? They're happy he was defeated?" Luffy asked, utterly confused by this turn of events.

"They all hated Morgan!" Coby realized, grin spreading wide as the hope that maybe, just maybe, all of the marines here weren't as bad as he'd pegged them to be. I hummed my agreement even as I stepped towards our newest crew member, spotting the dangerous way he was swaying. I got to his side just as his legs buckled out from beneath him and grunted as I caught his dead weight.

"That's enough excitement for you for one day," I told him, tone full of fond recrimination. "What do you say we get you something to eat instead, huh? And maybe a shower. No, scratch that, definitely a shower."

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy remembered. "You've gotta be pretty hungry, huh?"

Zoro's only answer was to groan at us incoherently, which I decided to take as a yes.

.

* * *

.

I left the famished swordsman in my brother's care, knowing that the rubber idiot had to be hungry again by this point anyway. It had been a tough choice, saying no to food, but I _had_ made a promise and it was one I intended to keep. And so I made my way through the ranks until I finally got in touch with the highest ranking marine, who's name happened to be Commander Ripper.

"What can I do for you?" The man asked, tone light but for the wariness in his eyes. He'd obviously heard about the fact that we were pirates and so didn't quite know what to do with us, since we'd basically just done their jobs for them.

"Nothing bad," I promised, hoping to put him more at ease. "I was just wondering if you had a Den Den Mushi I could use? I need to get in contact with a Vice-Admiral Garp."

"As in _Garp the Fist_?" He asked, gaping at me when I only nodded the affirmative. It took him a few moments to shake off his shock but I waited patiently, in no hurry. The longer I took here, the longer Zoro had to relax before we had to set sail. And after nine days tied to a post, he definitely deserved some time to stretch his legs before we all got stuck on that cramped boat.

Commander Ripper made short work of placing the call, speaking to each officer and being redirected through all of the correct channels. Once it was ringing to Garp's personal line, he handed the speaker to me and took a step back. It was clear he wouldn't be leaving during this conversation but I didn't much mind.

"Who's this?" Came a familiar gruff voice as the line picked up and I couldn't help but snicker. Was that how he always answered? No wonder the Fleet Admiral was always at his wit's end.

"Gramps!" I called out cheerfully. "It's Lily!"

"Lily?!" His voice lightened instantly, the face of the Den Den reflecting his wide grin.

"Mm, Lu and I set sail a few days ago. We stopped by the Marine Base in Shells Town, just like we promised."

"That's my precious granddaughter! And? And?" He demanded, clearly ecstatic.

"And we found out that the Captain of the base was abusing his position, killing his own subordinates and ruling over the town with an iron fist." I paused, thought it over and then corrected myself. "Er, iron ax."

Silence reigned supreme in the room, the snail's face having drooped in open disbelief while the commander at my side shifted uneasily.

"Wait, what?!" Garp finally demanded. "Who? That Morgan kid? I always knew there was something wrong with that guy! He was one hell of an arrogant upstart!"

"I wanted to let you know that we'd kept our promise," I informed him, the seriousness in my tone causing him to quiet down instantly. "But I also wanted you to know, once and for all, that we won't be joining the marines. There wouldn't be any place in the ranks for us."

"You don't know that," Gramps argued, but it was a weak attempt at best.

"I do. And so do you." I sighed, hating that I was letting him down but unwilling to bend to his will. "After what happened with Sabo and the fire in Grey Terminal... I couldn't ever bow to the World Government. Especially with the way Ace had to grow up, simply because of their prejudice. It wasn't right. And more than that, the pain they caused my brothers is unforgivable."

Gramps didn't say a word as my eyes flashed with boiling rage, causing Ripper to take a shaky step away from me. I took a deep breath, bottling up the resentment I still felt once more, and worked to soften my tone.

"You're our grandfather. And we'll always love you, no matter what," I promised sincerely. "But we never would've become marines and I think, deep down, you knew that. But you don't need to worry about us, okay? You helped us to become strong. So, we're gonna continue on and we're gonna achieve our dreams. Lu's gonna become the King of the Pirates and I'm gonna be at his side, every step of the way. And we're gonna watch out for each other and we're gonna be _free_. Is that okay with you?"

We'd do it even if it wasn't. Even if Garp hated it, refused to acknowledge it, denied it to the very end, we'd still do it. Still, I couldn't deny that there was a part of me that yearned for this acceptance. That needed to know that he'd continue to care for us, would continue to love us despite being on opposite sides. It was childish, I knew. But there wasn't anything I could do about it but wait with baited breath for his answer.

"You've really grown up," he finally said, the soft smile gracing his face mirrored oddly on the Den Den Mushi. "You've become quite the fine young woman, and I couldn't be more proud of you. I know you and you're brother will look out for each other. But know that, after this call, we'll be enemies. If I see you out on the seas, I'll be obligated to catch you. And I won't go easy on you. So, you better continue to get stronger!"

"Yes, sir," I agreed, grinning. And then I remembered. "Oh! You might not be getting me and Lu, but we met this kid awhile ago. His name's Coby and he wants to be a marine! He's not much at the moment, but he's really determined. He's got a strong will. I think he'd do really well under your guidance."

"Coby, eh?" He muttered before grinning viciously. "It's true that I do have some frustration to vent after hearing my precious grandchildren have all run off to be criminals. Taking on a pupil seems to be just the remedy for that."

"Uh... right," I agreed, laughing uneasily. "Well, he'll be waiting here at the base in Shells Town, alright?"

"Alright. And Lily... be safe."

"We will, Gramps," I grinned. "I hope we never see you out at sea! Bye bye, love you!" Without further ado, I hung up on him, cutting off whatever it was he'd started to yell. I turned to hand the Den Den back to the shell-shocked commander, gracing him with a pleasant smile. "Thanks a bunch!"

I didn't wait for an answer, instead turning on my heel and making my way into the hall. I wasn't at all ashamed to admit that I took the long way down, meandering through rooms to see just what kind of goodies I could spot. Morgan's old office was apparent as soon as I walked in, as was the fact that it had already been ransacked, most likely by Nami. Heading further I eventually came across what had to be Helmeppo's room, decked out in frills and bright colors, drapes swaying in the breeze that blew in through the shattered window. I felt no guilt at all going through his extensive jewelry collection and swiping pretty much all of it, as well as a few ornate decorations. I couldn't believe Nami had passed this up. Or maybe the activity earlier meant she hadn't been able to get to it? Either way, it was mine now.

It took awhile but I eventually made my way back into town and towards the restaurant. Passerby on the street greeted me cheerfully, most already heavily inebriated. There were people all over, singing and dancing in the streets. I slipped by most of them unnoticed, suppressing my aura and avoiding the bigger festivities. Once I arrived, it was to find a practical mob waiting outside, faces pressed to the windows as they tried to catch a glimpse of their so-called saviors. Ignoring them, I headed inside to where my crew and Coby were waiting.

"Ah! Lily!" Luffy greeted, not even turning to face me as he continued jamming food into his mouth. "You better hurry up or all the food's gonna be gone!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, you barbarian," I scolded, knocking my fist against his head gently. Most of my manners had fallen to the wayside, unfortunately, but this was one thing I refused to let go. Pulling up a chair, I noticed that Zoro was leaning back, hands braced against his stomach and a look of pure satisfaction on his face. "What, you're already done?"

"That's what I said!" My brother crowed, face one of equal disbelief to my own.

"Tch, whatever," the swordsman sighed. "You're not human, that's the only explanation there is to how you can be so scrawny and yet eat so much more than me."

"Ah, not quite," I disagreed even as I reached for the plate that Rika's mother had thoughtfully placed before me. "Because of his Devil Fruit, his body is stretching all the time, even when it doesn't seem like it. His metabolism works crazy fast, even if he's only resting, forget about when he's actually fighting or training. Because of that, he has to eat a lot of food otherwise he'll get really weak. The more food he eats, the stronger he gets. And since his stomach can expand there's really no limit."

"What about you?" Coby asked, clearly intrigued. "I've seen you eat almost just as much, just as quickly."

"Well," I rubbed my head, a bit embarrassed. "I burn through calories pretty quickly, too, through training and fighting. I don't need nearly as much as my brother does but I still need a lot. I think it might also be in our genes, as everyone I've seen in our family is a bit of an eater." I lashed out with my fork, stabbing into the hand Luffy had been trying to sneak towards my chicken and causing him to yelp. "And, besides, with someone like this you've pretty much got to learn to devour your food quickly or to not eat at all."

"Lovely," Zoro sighed, though he didn't look too concerned. "Anyway, now that the girl's here, what are our plans next?"

"Oh! I'm Lily!" I told him, realizing that I hadn't even introduced myself to him yet. He nodded in acknowledgment before turning to my brother for an answer.

"Well, we're gonna head for the Grand Line, of course." He said as if it should be obvious.

"What!" Coby yelled out. "You're talking nonsense again! You can't head to the Grand Line with just the three of you! Don't you get it? The world's strongest pirates gather there!"

"The Grand Line, huh?" Zoro asked, smirk cutting it's way across his face. "That's where One Piece is, so it makes sense to head that way."

"That's also where Dracule Mihawk is," I told him slyly, watching him stiffen at the name. "The World's current Greatest Swordsman."

"That should tell you just how dangerous it is!" Coby squeaked out. "It's people like that who are found there!"

"What are you so worried about anyway?" Zoro asked. "It's not like you're going with us."

"Well, yeah, but... But I still worry! We might have only just known each other for a short time..." His voice lowered, shoulders hunching in uncertainty. "But, we're still friends...right?"

"Of course!" Luffy grinned at him, causing him to breath out in relief. "We have to part ways but we'll always be friends!"

"I never had friends growing up," he admitted quietly and Luffy and I both twitched at the obvious loneliness in his voice. It was something we recognized well from before we'd met our brothers. "Everyone would always pick on me and nobody ever stood up for me... But the three of you taught me to live by my dream!"

"Silly Coby," I smiled at him as I leaned on the table, head propped against my hand. "Why do you think we're heading to the Grand Line?"

"Oh! I guess you're right," he laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, before his eyes widened and he froze. "Wait, no! That's still too reckless!"

"Worry about yourself first," Zoro commanded, cutting off his fretting by tapping him on the forehead with the hilt of one of his swords. "You might have only been a chore boy, but you were still technically a pirate. Don't underestimate the marine's ability to gather information. If they find out your past, they'll never let you join."

"Nah, he doesn't have to worry about that," I waved off their concern before Coby could begin freaking out for a whole other reason. Luffy looked to me instantly, recognizing my tone.

"You did something," he stated. When I nodded he furrowed his brows. "What did you do?"

"We promised Gramps we'd come here didn't we?" I shrugged. "Well, I gave him a call to let him know we'd kept our word but that we were still becoming pirates. And then I _may_ or may not have told him about Coby and suggested he take him on as a student or something."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Coby gasped, eyes shining with gratitude and I couldn't help but feel a little bad, especially when I caught the blatant horror on my brother's face.

It was at that moment that the door to the establishment opened, Commander Ripper stepping in with a quiet, "Excuse me." It was such a difference to how either of the Morgan's used to act that the civilians gathered outside just gawked, though there was an unmistakable wariness in their eyes. It was clear that the marines here had their work cut out for them in regaining the town's trust.

"Is it true that you're pirates?" He asked, tone implying how much he wished for us to deny it. My brother was either oblivious to it or just didn't care as he grinned cheerfully and answered without hesitation.

"Yep! We even just got a new crew member!"

"I see... You saved our town and base, and for that we'll always be grateful to you." He paused, not wanting to continue on. But then he straightened his spine and looked my brother straight in the eye, refusing to back down, and I felt a well of respect for the man at that action alone. By the gleams in both my crew member's eyes, I could tell that I wasn't the only one. "But you are pirates. And as such, we cannot allow you to stay any longer. Please leave this place immediately. As for what occurred here, we will be informing headquarters."

Protests broke out instantly, none of the citizens very happy with this turnout. The three of us simply stood, though, unbothered as we made our way to the door. Zoro had been able to eat his fill, shower and relax for a bit. I'd seen for myself that the commander had had his suspicions some time ago and yet he'd still waited to confront us, giving us plenty of time to cool down after the fight. We couldn't really ask much more than that.

"Well, I guess we better head off, then," Luffy decided.

"But, Luffy-san..." Coby mumbled, looking particularly downtrodden.

"Are you really leaving?" Rika asked, lip wobbling dangerously.

"Shishishi, yeah, we've got a lot of things to do, so we'd better get started," my brother told her, ruffling her hair as he passed. As one, Luffy and I both stopped before Coby and laid a hand each on his shoulder, regarding him solemnly. "Good luck and don't die."

With that, we stepped around him and left him blinking uncomprehensively behind us.

"Wait, isn't he with you?" Ripper called out. We didn't even stop as I waved him off.

"Nah, he's here to join the marines. Vice-Admiral Garp should be by soon to pick him up, don't worry."

" _Vice-Admiral Garp_?!" The majority of people around us exclaimed, Coby's voice being the loudest.

"Yeah, don't die!" Luffy yelled back at him.

"I'm really sorry!" I added for good measure, and then we were off, heading down the road. People threw out shouts of thanks at us as we passed while the marines themselves kept sharp eyes on us, especially after Zoro lunged at a few and scared the wits out of them. Soon enough, we'd made it to the docks where our tiny little dingy awaited us.

"Time for us to go," Zoro sighed, smiling. "Or who knows what else will happen? Not leaving anything behind, that's what pirates are all about."

"You got that right!" Luffy agreed cheerfully.

"Because you know so much about the pirate life, do you, Pirate Hunter?" I asked, quirking my brow at him. He scowled at me instantly, causing me to snicker at just how easy his buttons were to push, but before he could snap back at me there was the sound of running feet and we all turned to find Coby gasping away before us. He stood straight, heels clicking together as he threw a textbook-perfect salute our way.

"Luffy-san, Lily-san! I will never forget you for the rest of my life!" He promised, prompting the both of us to grin.

"A marine saluting a pirate?" Zoro asked in good humor. "Now I've seen everything."

"Coby!" Luffy called back to him even as Zoro and I hopped into the boat. "We'll meet again someday!"

And as we sailed away, we were greeted with the strangest scene yet. For there, lined along the port, stood the marines, all saluting towards us as one. Luffy and I continued to wave until Coby's crying face was out of sight, the town just a dot on the horizon. Letting out a breath, I plopped down beside our new swordsman who, up until that point, had been grinning in amusement. Luffy followed my lead and sat, arms spread wide above his head as he looked out before us, in the direction our adventures awaited.

"Alright, let's go!" He commanded, voice full of pure, unadulterated joy. "To the Grand Line!"

.

* * *

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 **A/N: GOOD LORD. 17,579 words. I don't know why I do this to myself. I could've easily cut this into two chapters, but nooooo.**

 **Anyway, tada! Welcome, Zoro! I don't really have much to say about this chapter at the moment, as I've been writing nonstop all day and night, it's after 7 in the morning, I haven't slept, and my brain currently feels like a pile a mush.**

 **Oh! And by the way, I have no idea how old Coby is. So, I guessed fourteen. He's really small at the beginning, so I was sorely tempted to make him more like twelve or something. But then he grows pretty quickly too. In Water 7 he definitely looks about fifteen or so. So, I kinda just went for it, as no amount of searching gave me a concrete number. Also, regarding his appearance. I've always read in fics that he's pudgy. And I can kind of see it, because of his face? But, personally at least, I just can't picture it. Because he's more or less been held in slavery for two years. There's no way he's been well-fed in that time. And it was clearly shown that Alvida had her crew working to the bone in order to keep the ship clean and slacking off and taking breaks wasn't tolerated. Under those conditions, it's hard to imagine that Coby would be any kind of overweight.**

 **And as for Morgan, I got a lot of mixed results about whether he's a Captain or a Lieutenant (keep in mind that I honestly know nothing about military ranks). But the wiki said Captain, so I went for it. That's really all there is to it.**

 **Lightsbane1905: Lily isn't exactly "Luffyko" but she does look fairly similar. Because Luffyko is the literal girl version of Luffy whereas Lily is just his twin. And twins of different genders are more fraternal than identical, even if they have large similarities in appearance. But, yeah, she is attractive, though maybe not the total knockout people imagine when it comes to fem!Luffy. Heh, yeah, sorry about that. And as for the number of crewmates, that's the number Luffy stated at the beginning of his adventure and I doubt the inclusion of Lily would've changed it all that much. But just because he said that doesn't mean there can't be more. I'm not opposed to adding more crew members, though I'd definitely rather avoid any other OC's to do so. If I were to actually pair Lily with anyone, crew exclusive, it would probably be Zoro. Luffy's out for obvious reasons. I really don't think Lily would be able to handle a romantic relationship with Sanji and would probably end up killing him in frustration instead. Usopp's heart belongs to Kaya (let my little shipper heart dream, okay?). Chopper is far to young, even if we were to look past the whole species boundary. Nami isn't really in the best frame of mind, I don't think, for any kind of romantic relationship having just gotten out of practical captivity, not to mention the fact that she's been actively avoiding any kind of relationship for most of her life. She needs friends and family now more than she needs romance. The same could be said for Robin. As for Franky and Brook, they're both far too old. So, yeah, that really only leaves Zoro. Though the both of them will be far too focused on their goals and the general chaos that comes from being a Straw Hat for that to ever actually happen. Ah, sorry for the long-winded explanation...**

 **ApplePieJustCuzILove'Em: You don't weird me out, I promise haha It's nice to see people getting excited over my work! It makes me very happy. We really should both sleep more, though! This fic has made sleeping a thing of the past for me lately... ahaha... Anyway! Hot chocolate _definitely_ sounds delicious right about now. **

**YomuHime: I do have art of her Romance Dawn appearance! It's not quite finished yet, but I'll post it as soon as it is. I'll make sure to let you guys know when I do!**

 **athenaincarnate: Yes, to all that you said about Garp. I honestly felt the same, as he seems the type that would thrive on affection just as Luffy does. And Lily could sense that similarity in him, hence her invitation to hugs whenever he wants, as long as he doesn't almost kill her in the process haha I've always wanted to know a bit more about Garp but not much has been revealed and I'm not sure much ever will be, honestly. And so I made up something for him myself. I'm glad that it fits with his character! I'd been a bit nervous about that. Now that we've reached canon, original scenes will be harder to come by for awhile but I'll still try my best to add them in. Lily's fighting skills were only shown a tiny bit in this chapter. I'll do my best to show more in the future but, until the Kuro arc at least, there probably won't be much. Morgan and Buggy were easy for Luffy to beat _before_ so there's no way he'd have any kind of trouble with them _now_. As for romance, yeah, living the lives they do it's really not the top of any of their priority lists. (I don't know if you read the replies to my other reviews, but I detailed above why it wouldn't work with her and any of the other crew members, in my opinion at least) I'm not opposed to hinting at it and, if anyone's so inclined, I really don't mind if people end up favoring a certain pairing. I'm going to be trying my best to write close relationship with all of them, so it won't be hard to see it, especially if you've already got your shipper-vision activated haha I have a plan in mind for them meeting up with Sabo already, actually, so don't you worry! It will be much, _much_ sooner than Dressrosa! I could totally see Makino and Dadan being mom friends, omg. I could see Zoro and Lily being training buddies, especially since she works with a type of blade as well. But their styles are pretty different, so I don't know how easy that would be. It never really made sense to me at all that the crew continued to get stronger and yet never really actively trained, other than Zoro? Like, how does that make sense? So, yeah, I want to throw that in there, even if it's only a throw away line every now and then. Yeah, becoming a Whitebeard Pirate was kind of necessary for Ace and I just couldn't bring myself to take that away from him. Aaah, I mean, she's kind of like me but also kind of not? It's hard to explain. She has a lot of my traits, like her stubbornness, her cussing, her disdain for being looked down on just for being a girl and, probably most of all, her ridiculous sense of humor. At the same time, though, we're very different people. Maybe if I had been born into their world like this I'd turn out like her, but it's doubtful. It's more like she's the person I'd wish I could be? I hope that makes sense... So, really, I guess the most honest answer would be to say she's about half and half when it comes to being an OC or a self-insert. **

**Ugotaurus: As far as I'm concerned, some things are just bound to happen. Like the whirlpool at the beginning of this chapter. But it's not so much as they're meant to happen, or that canon will insist on making it happen, as it is that Lily's existence isn't going to change _everything_. Like, there's no reason her being born should affect a whirlpool popping up in the middle of the sea. And it was really just chance that they happened upon it like Luffy did in canon. Just like her being there won't stop a bug from biting one of her crewmates on Little Garden. It might not be the same bug, it might not be the same crewmate, who knows? And in that case, she wouldn't go out of her way to stop it, even if she could. Because if someone doesn't get sick then they won't ever make a stop at Drum and they'll never pick up Chopper. So, I don't think things are necessarily destined to happen, per say, but more that Lily's presence isn't enough to change absolutely everything. Which is good, because she wouldn't want it to anyways. Some things will change and some things won't and there really won't be any way to predict it. Hopefully that makes sense and I'm not just talking gibberish? Haha**

 **Catflower Queen: Thank you! Ah, I've actually had Lily training like that because of something specific. Which is why I don't want her to get a Fruit until the Grand Line, if she gets one. On the reverse of that, though, that training would be put to use as a Devil Fruit user as well. Part of what makes it so dangerous to have one is that you can't swim, making the threat of drowning very real. With her ability to hold her breath, though, she wouldn't be in as much danger as she'd be able to hang on longer until someone was able to fish her out. Either way, the ability has it's uses.**

 **chickeyd: Oh, my gosh, thank you so much! That is some serious praise right there and I may or may not be blushing. Really, though, thank you! I'm glad that you've liked what you've read so far and hopefully I'll continue to gain your approval as I get farther into the series!**

 **Mytheos: Ah, they left him more than a note... haha As for the side story, if I do it I'll definitely do my best to try to make sure it doesn't take away from this story. This fic will always be my first priority.**

 **A question I really wanted to ask you guys, especially since Lightsbane1905 pointed it out, was what your opinion was on them picking up extra crewmates along the way? I'm not sure how into this idea I am but I'm not opposed to it either. I wouldn't want to go crazy with it and I definitely don't want any OC characters added. But there've been a few people along the line so far that I could see joining the Straw Hats, if only outcomes were different. So, I want to know, what do you guys think about it? And if you think it's a good idea, who would you want to join and why? I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter!**

 **As always, thank you for reading! Please follow, favorite or review and let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

"I'm _so hungry_ ~."

I scoffed at my brother's pathetic whine, not even bothering to look up from the compass and map I currently had clutched in my hands. "Quit complaining. If anyone has the right to, it's _me_. You and Zoro both got to eat your fill before we left while I barely got anything at all."

"But Lili! That was yesterday!"

"Stop being so dramatic," I huffed. "If I'm right, which I am, we should be seeing the next island within an hour or two."

"An _hour_?!"

"It's a bit comforting to know at least one of you knows what you're doing," Zoro commented from where he was sprawled across from us, head pillowed on crossed arms and regarding us with open curiosity. It was better than the aggravation of earlier, when he'd woken up only to find himself trapped beneath the tangle of limbs that was my brother and I. It wasn't like it was our fault. Even after all this time, we were used to there being more people in our Puppy Piles. Because of that, we just naturally drifted towards whoever happened to be snoozing nearby, whether they liked it or not. "I still can't believe you set out to be a pirate and you don't even know how to navigate."

"Hey, you don't either," Luffy pouted, put out. "You've just been wandering around and collecting bounties."

"I never said I lived off of bounties." Zoro's eyes slid away to look into the distance as he continued. "I left home because I was searching for a man but now I can't find my way back. I had no choice but to start hunting pirates if I wanted to survive."

"Oh, so you're lost?" My brother and I both asked, heads cocked in much the same way.

"No!" He denied instantly, vicious scowl on his face. "The islands just keep moving!"

"...Islands don't really work like that, ya know," I informed him, deadpan. He scoffed and looked away from us again but I could see the light pink tinge on the tips of his ears. Then he perked up, pointing above us.

"Hey, a bird." It was a pretty unsubtle way to change the subject but Luffy and I both followed where he was looking regardless and, yep, there it was, circling slowly above us. Seeing my brother jump to his feet, grin spread wide across his face, had apprehension pooling in my gut instantly.

"Let's catch that bird!"

"How?"

"Wait, Luffy, don't you -" But he was already rocketing upwards into the sky. I sighed. "...dare."

"What's the big deal?" Zoro asked, seeing the clear dismay on my face. "Even if he misses, he'll just fall back down. One of us can swim out to get him."

"Well, for one, if that thing looks big from this far away, imagine how big it _actually_ is." As if to prove my point, my brother's cries for help reached our ears at that moment from where his head had apparently been entrapped in the bird's beak. Even now, they were flying further and further away.

Zoro, to his credit, reacted instantly, letting out only a single " _idiot!_ " before he was rowing after them as quickly as he could. Which was pretty damn quick, I had to admit. I left him to it, instead opting to keep my eyes on the prize so that we didn't lose them. Sure, I had a pretty good idea of where my brother was being taken, but what if I was wrong? Orange Town wasn't the only place around here and all it could take was a shift in the winds to change the bird's course. Better safe than sorry.

"What was the second reason?" Zoro grunted out after a few minutes of solid silence. I hummed at him in question, asking for further elaboration. "You said _for one_ , earlier, about why you didn't want him to try to catch that damn bird. What was the second reason?"

"Oh," I blinked at him in shock that he'd caught that before turning my gaze back upwards. My brother's flailing figure was just a dot on the horizon now and I knew that, no matter how fast we were going, they'd likely be out of sight soon. "Well, it was kind of pointless. I just got done saying that we'd make it to the next island soon. And seeing a bird is clear proof because birds don't fly out very far from dry land, even in search of food. It'd kinda go against their survival instincts, wouldn't it, traveling too far from where they could safely perch?"

"That... makes a lot of sense," he mumbled, turning his head just enough to look at me from the corner of his eye.

"Well, if you ever find yourself lost at sea," I advised him seriously, "just follow the birds."

He nodded at me before turning his attention forward once more to concentrate on rowing. I was about to do the same when I caught sight of the three bodies in the water ahead of us, each of them waving their arms and crying out.

"Hey! Stop the boat!"

"The boat over there, stop!"

"What the?" Zoro asked, irritated. "More people in trouble?"

I had half a mind to tell the swordsman to just ignore them and keep going. It was their own fault for getting swindled, after all, and they were planning on turning around and doing the same to us. But despite the fact that I could be callous, even cold-hearted if I truly had to be, I couldn't find it in myself to just leave them stranded. It wasn't like they were much of a threat anyway and, hey, at least they'd be giving Zoro a break.

Decision made, I called out to them, "We can't stop! If you want on, you'll have to work for it!"

"What was that?"

"Are you serious?!"

We zoomed by them, not slowing down in the least, just as I'd warned. Still, though, they'd managed to grab hold somehow and hoist themselves onboard, collapsing in a heap and gasping for air.

"Oh, hey, you guys actually made it," Zoro greeted them, impressed. "Your climbing skills aren't half bad!"

"Were you trying to run us over?!" They demanded as one. Then the guy to the right, with the curly hair and big lips, let out a sigh of pure relief. "Thank god... I thought we were goners."

"Why are these guys so reckless?" The rotund guy on the left muttered.

They all stood once they'd caught their breath, straightening up in what they probably thought were intimidating postures as they withdrew their weapons. The guy in the middle, clearly the leader, stepped forward menacingly. "Now, stop the boat. This is the pirate Buggy-sama's territory."

"Excuse me?" Zoro demanded as I simply gave them a dry look, going out of my way to slump lazily to show just how nonthreatening I found them. I sighed when Zoro looked ready to lunge forward, motioning for him to let me handle it instead. He settled back with a huff, keeping sharp eyes on the men before us even as he kept rowing at a steady speed. He'd yet to really see me fight, had no idea what level of aptitude I actually had for combat. But still, he wasn't questioning me, merely keeping watch in order to offer any help I may need.

The action warmed me and I knew then that the two of us were gonna get along just fine.

Stepping forward, hands placed on my hips and expression on of admonishment, I regarded the three men before me. "We just saved you. Threatening us now is of pretty poor taste."

"Like we care!" The middle guy, who wore a hat, yelled out, brandishing his sword at my face. "We're pirates!"

"That's right!" Curly agreed, while Tubs merely nodded along. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll hand this vessel over to us!"

I stared them down, unimpressed, before shrugging. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, I batted the blade away and lunged forward, jabbing a fist straight into Hat Guy's unguarded solar plexus, causing him to wheeze as his knees buckled almost instantly. The sword fell from his now-limp fingers and I caught it deftly, twisting around to aim a kick at Curly's right side and feeling it give way a bit as I made contact with his floating ribs. I came to rest with with the blade fully extended and pointing at Tubby's neck, the bodies of his mates hitting the deck around us with groans of pain. Finding a place to hit wouldn't be as easy on the fly with this one, given the amount of fat he had to further protect his vitals and his ribs, and I deemed this sufficient for beating him without actually having to harm him. Given the blatant terror on his face, I was more than correct.

I smiled at him politely and was gratified to see him pale in response. "You've made us lose sight of our Captain," I informed him and heard Zoro curse in response behind me when he realized that I was right. "Now you're going to be nice and help us, aren't you? After all, it's the least you can do to show gratitude for our kindness."

"R-Right away!" He squeaked as all three of them scrambled forward to relieve Zoro of his duty, though the two I'd hit moved significantly more slowly, hands wrapped around their middles in obvious discomfort.

I nodded in approval even as Zoro continued to glare at them. "You'd better hope we find him," he warned, sitting back with a sigh, "otherwise you three are in for it. Put your back into it!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Don't worry about it, Zoro," I waved off his concern, ignoring the incredulous shouts of " _Zoro_? As in _Roronoa Zoro_?" from our guests. "We might not be able to see him anymore, but I can definitely feel him. Luffy's one of the easiest for me to sense, since we're always together."

"Sense?" He asked, eyebrow cocked in question as he crossed his arms, gaze firmly locked on the men before us and keeping an eye out for any funny business, even though it was pretty clear they'd be too afraid to do anything to us anytime soon.

"Mm," I agreed cheerfully. It was true that I hadn't wanted to get into it with Coby but I was more than happy to tell Zoro all about it, especially since I'd have him and everyone else training in it as soon as we had the Merry, if I had my way. Which I would. "Luffy was doing it, too, in his fight against that shitty Morgan."

I saw his eyes widen in understanding as he recalled the incident from yesterday. "Yeah, he was dodging that guy's blows with no problem, even with his eyes closed."

"It's called haki," I explained. "Or, more specifically in this case, Observation Haki. It allows you to more or less sense the world around you without having to rely on sight. It also helps you to anticipate an enemy's attacks, sometimes even before they're made. Further mastery of it will allow you to get a sense of someone's emotions or even... not _thoughts_ , per say. It's not mind reading. But a better understanding of why someone's feeling certain things at a given time? It's hard to explain..."

"And you both have this ability?" He asked, clearly intrigued.

"Yeah. I'm better at it than Luffy is, but he's getting there. Besides, he already has me beat on the other one."

"Other one?"

"Ah, yeah, there are actually three types of haki. The one my brother is most proficient at is Armament. It's... kind of like an armor, I guess you could say."

"How did you guys learn?" His face remained impassive but I could easily see the spark of interest in his eyes.

"I'll tell you all about it later," I promised, gaze sliding over to the three that had been listening in, causing them to flinch at the sudden attention as Zoro looked towards them once more as well. The swordsman nodded, accepting my word easily, before changing the subject.

"How did you three end up in the middle of the ocean anyway?"

"Ah, you've finally asked! Yes, yes! Good question!" Hat Guy yelled out before his face plummeted into a fierce scowl. "That girl!"

"Yeah, that bad girl!"

"She tricked us!" Tubby's face grew red as he continued on to admit, "...She was pretty cute, though."

"We'd just finished robbing a ship," Curly took over to explain, voice grave. "We were going through what we'd collected and inspecting it. We'd gotten quite a lot, you see, and we were sure that it'd be enough to get us into Buggy-sama's good graces."

"But then we caught sight of a drifting boat," Tubs continued. "And there was a woman laying in it, looking as if she'd fainted. So, we drew up beside her to see what was happening. She said she'd been in a ship wreck and asked if we could spare some water and bread and that she'd even pay us! She was real pretty, too, with bright orange hair, a slim figure and big boo -"

" _Anyway,_ " Hat Guy interrupted with a pointed glare. "We went over to her ship to see just what kind of treasure she had. And while we did, the little minx stole our ship! Before we even knew what was happening, she was already sailing away with our hard-earned loot! And the chest was empty, there wasn't even any treasure!"

"And then the strangest thing of all happened," Curly informed us, voice hushed. "As she was sailing away she called out a weather prediction to us... And it actually happened! The boat she'd left us with sunk almost instantly! It was as if she planned it!"

"And that's what happened! Terrible right?" Hat Guy finished dramatically, before leaning forward, clearly hoping for reactions of sympathy. He was shit outta luck, though, as I had no pity for them and Zoro was more focused on who they were talking about than them.

"A girl who can predict the weather?" He mumbled. "She must be something special. I wonder if we can get her to join us..."

"If Lu likes her, probably," I shrugged. "You've already seen the way he doesn't really take no for an answer."

He made a face at the reminder before nodding, accepting the logic as sound.

"If I find her," Curly declared hotly, "I'm gonna kill her!"

"We have to get our loot back first, idiot," Hat Guy admonished.

"Yeah," Tubs agreed, voice shaking in fright, "if we go back without it, Buggy-sama'll have our heads!"

"Buggy?" Zoro asked, steel blue eyes flickering between the three of them, clearly catching their fear. "Who the hell is that?"

"He's our Captain!" Hat Guy shared, face grave. "Haven't you ever heard of ' _Buggy the Clown_ '? He's a dangerous guy who ate one of the legendary Devil's Fruits!"

"Oh, yeah!" I exclaimed, punching my hand into my palm as if just remembering. It was an action I'd definitely picked up from my brother. "I have heard of him. He's a Grand Line pirate, isn't he? With a bounty of fifteen million, right?"

"Yep, that's our Captain!" They agreed, seeming happy that I'd recognized the name. "He's a pretty fearsome man, and he's really strong! He's the man that's gonna be King one day!"

I snorted, turning away from them and focusing on my brother's distant aura instead. "Doubtful. Turn slightly to the right, we're going off course."

"Yes, ma'am!"

.

* * *

.

"This is it, Master Zoro! Mistress Lily!"

"Please don't call me that," I commanded absently, spinning around in place as I took in the empty town before us.

"This place is a ghost town," Zoro commented as he stepped up to my side, eyes scanning our surroundings. "Where us everybody?"

"Well... You see, sir," Tubs laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "We've taken over this town. It belongs to Buggy-sama now."

"What are we gonna do?" Curly groaned. "We're returning to him empty handed."

"We'll just have to tell the truth. It's all that damn girl's fault."

"Your captain," I interrupted, not in the mood to hear them whine. "He wouldn't happen to be that way, would he?"

They followed the direction I was pointing in and nodded as one, confirming what I'd already guessed. Sighing, I rubbed at my forehead tiredly. I had hoped to get here before this happened, but it looked like we were too late. If things had gone how they originally had, Luffy was probably currently tied up in a cage while Nami was sweet talking her way into Buggy's good graces.

The image alone had me snarling, stomping forward without a backwards glance. "Let's go, Zoro."

He followed my lead without comment, casting apprehensive glances my way every now and then, clearly sensing the rage rolling off of me in waves. I couldn't help it, though. Even knowing that Luffy was okay, would get out of this just fine, I couldn't stand the thought up him _caged_. Because that was one thing he should never, ever be.

The tavern was located near the center of town, which I supposed made sense for a base. The town itself was fairly big. Nothing like Goa, mind, but definitely bigger than Foosha or even Shells Town. Still, spurred forward by anger the way I was, it didn't take all that long to get there. The building itself had just come into sight when I froze mid-step, my body stiffening as alarms began blaring in my head. Not a second later, a giant _boom!_ rent the air and Zoro and I watched in horrified awe as building after building came tumbling down, creating a path of destruction that went all the way to the edge of town and beyond.

"That was one of the Captain's famous Buggy Balls," Tubs informed us from where the three were huddled behind us. I hadn't even noticed them following, focused as I'd been on my brother's aura. "It's because of that and his Devil Fruit that he's so feared on these seas."

I was quiet for a moment, watching as debris drifted and settled, before finally speaking up. "I thought guys were supposed to name their junk after things, not the other way around."

Zoro, who'd been just as seriously surveying the damage, snorted at my words before completely cracking up. Even through my anger, I smiled at the fact that I'd been able to draw such an honest laugh from the man.

We left the three Buggy Pirates spluttering behind us, Zoro still letting out the occasion chuckle as he tried to get himself under control, and headed inside to make our way to the roof. Luffy's presence hadn't moved and was still rather calm. There were clusters of men and all of them were happy, thrilled even, and filled with blood lust. Seeing that cannon go off had clearly gotten their adrenaline pumping and they were ready for the next show. Nami was pretty easy to pick out, despite not being the strongest aura around. I could sense her hesitation, her reluctance to do what she was being commanded to, and her panic when the choice was quite literally taken out of her hands.

We made it just in time to see the matchbox be swiped from her by an impatient pirate who lit the fuse without a second thought. The fuse that led to the cannon that was currently aimed right at my brother. Who, as I'd already known, was tied up. And in a fucking cage.

I pushed the hot, boiling rage that wanted to burst out down, stopping myself from charging forward and just _killing them all_. Instead, I let it simmer and cool into an ice cold fury, taking a deep breath before stepping forward soundlessly. I flicked a glance back at Zoro, cocking my head at the cannon, and he nodded in understanding. That taken care of, knowing that I could trust the swordsman to take care of things there, I made my way into the crowd.

It wasn't hard to slip in and out from between them all without drawing attention. One of the first things I'd discovered when I was learning Observation was that I could suppress my own aura until it was almost undetectable, which in turn made it much easier to go by unnoticed. It wasn't so much that it made me invisible because I could still clearly be seen if someone was looking for me. It was more that, so long as people were sufficiently distracted, I more or less slipped under their radar as unimportant. That instinctive, primal voice in the back of the mind was silenced, my presence slipping right by them, even if I was standing right behind my target.

It sure as hell made thieving easier but it was also an advantage at times like this. Because everyone's attention was on the cannon pointed at my brother, it's fuse quickly burning down, and the drama that was unfolding as their newest so-called _crewmate_ betrayed them. Which made it child's play to slip in and out between them, one of the tiny throwing knives that I'd collected from a downed opponent in Grey Terminal months ago held in my hand. It was simple to slice here and there, quick as a snake. The sharpness of my blade insured that the wound wasn't felt right away and my knowledge of the human body had me hitting all the right places, tendons and small arteries. Wouldn't kill them, no, but would cripple them for quite a while. The hardest part was ignoring my brother's yells of panic, even though I could sense quite clearly that he was still relatively calm, regardless of how he sounded.

By the time I'd made it back to Zoro's side, he'd just blocked the mob that had been ganging up on the orange-haired thief. He scoffed at the lot of them, smirk firmly in place. "How many pirates does it take to handle one girl?"

" _Excuse you,_ " I growled, eyebrow raised imperiously. "Not all of the pirates here could handle this _one girl_ , thank you very much."

"What was that?!"

"You bitch!"

"We'll kill you!"

"No, you really won't," I informed them cheerfully. "You see, I've already beaten all of you."

It was as if my words were the cue. One by one, they started dropping like flies, clutching at whatever part I'd sliced into and groaning and moaning in severe pain. I'd never had a tendon cut before, but I had it on good authority that it really wasn't pleasant.

"Lily! Zoro!" Luffy called out in greeting, grin spread in clear delight as he payed no mind to the downed men that now littered the roof. I spun around at once, hands on my hips, and saw him flinch away from the scowl on my face.

"Monkey D. Luffy!" I yelled, causing him to cringe. "Next time I tell you not to go after the bird, you _don't go after the bird_. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yeah!" He promised, head nodding vigorously in agreement. Zoro scoffed while I nodded back in satisfaction.

"Is he the captain or are you?" He muttered under his breath before turning to the girl before us, who was still kneeling on the ground and staring at us in shock. "Hey, are you hurt?"

"Huh?" She asked before finally seeming to come back to her senses. "O-Oh, uh... No, I'm fine."

"I'll be the one to decide that," I told her as I knelt down next to her, grasping her hands firmly even when she instinctively tried to pull away. I tried smiling at her but it probably came off as more of a smirk. "I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to burns."

"That's not funny!" Luffy called out, scowling, and I stuck my tongue out at him. I was the one who'd been injured. If I wanted to make tasteless jokes about it then that was my right. "Anyway, get me outta here already, would ya?"

"What are you even doing, goofing off?" Zoro asked, swords braced on his shoulder. "First you fly off with a bird and now you're playing around in some cage? You idiot!"

"That guy..." Nami muttered to me, eyes never once leaving the swordsman's form. "One of the crewmates he was talking about was Zoro the Pirate Hunter? What's going on here?"

"Ah, well, it turns out Zoro wasn't hunting bounties because he wanted to take down pirates," I tried to explain as I examined her blackened palms. "More like he got lost and had to make money somehow."

"You're... not joking, are you?" She asked in a voice that was clearly pleading with me to say that ' _yes, I was_ '. Too bad for her.

"Nope!" I grinned at her, full of cheer. "Your hands should be fine, by the way. They'll be sore and stiff for a bit, kind of like a bad sunburn, but it shouldn't be unmanageable or anything."

"Oh, uh... Thanks, I guess."

"No problem!"

"So, you're Roronoa Zoro, eh?" I glanced up at the new voice to catch my first real glimpse of Buggy the Clown. I had to admit, even coming here with low expectations I was pretty unimpressed. I could see how he could come off as intimidating, especially in East Blue. His eyes were cold and he'd already proven he wasn't afraid of bloodshed. The captain's coat he wore draped over his shoulders was regal and demanded respect. That was about all he had going for him, though. The clown getup was definitely a drawback and made it really hard to take anything he said seriously. Add that to the fact that I could feel his aura, dwarfed even by Zoro's let alone mine and Luffy's, and I just couldn't see him as much of a threat despite knowing that he'd one day be a _Warlord_ , of all things. "You must have come here to collect my bounty."

"Not really," Zoro shrugged and I snorted at his absolute nonchalance, especially when Buggy had gone through all the effort of appearing behind him and striking an intimidating pose. "I gave up pirate hunting. I have no interest in you."

"Well, I have interest in you!" The clown declared, eye twitching at the obvious brush off even as he grinned maliciously. He spread his arms wide, dagger held between each of his fingers. "Killing you would be a a nice feather in my cap!"

"You'd better back off or I'll pluck all your feathers," our crewmate warned and I felt proud of his horrible joke, even if it did fall a bit flat, and called out an obligatory ' _nice one!_ ' in encouragement. I was promptly ignored.

"We'll see about that," Buggy sneered as he rushed forward, weak cheers breaking out from his crew who were all still huddled on the ground pathetically. "Give me all you've got, Pirate Hunter, because I'm about to get a good look at your blood!"

Zoro sighed even as he unsheathed his swords and took a stance. "You asked for it."

Without further ado, he charged forward, easily slicing through Buggy's body. The clown fell to the ground in pieces, seemingly dead if not for the total absence of blood. Nami looked shocked beyond words and Zoro was already resheathing his blades, confident in the fact that the short battle was over. His crew weren't freaking out, though. In fact, they seemed utterly amused, even in their pained states. Luffy's face was skeptical, head cocked as he watched the proceedings from within his make-shift prison.

Even if I hadn't already known about Buggy's abilities, I was certain that I still would've made the connection and jumped to the right conclusion, though it might've been too late at that point. Thankfully, I _did_ know about his abilities and didn't have to waste time trying to puzzle them out. Instead I was able to rush forward, concentrating fiercely in order to activate my meager Armament and coat my hand in obsidian up to the wrist. Suitably protected, it was no trouble at all to reach out and grab hold of the knife that had been flying directly at my crewmate's unprotected back.

"You," I snarled at the figure that was pulling itself back together, baring the hand I held in my grasp, "are a _coward._ "

"What the -?" Zoro spun around to face me and widened his eyes when he realized just what I'd stopped from happening. "What the hell?!"

"They did say he ate a Devil Fruit," I commented, narrowing my eyes at him even as Buggy's hand began wriggling desperately in my ever-tightening grip. "You need to be more careful in the future. You're strong, yeah, but getting cocky is a good way to get dead."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered in seeming annoyance, though I could tell that he would be taking my scolding to heart, if his hunched shoulders were any indication.

"The Bara Bara no Mi! That's the Fruit I ate!" Buggy helpfully informed us. "You can slice and dice me all ya want, but ya can't kill me! I'm a Chop-Chop Man!"

"Well, what if I were to do this?" I asked and then proceeded to crush his hand in my fist, hearing multiple bones snap as I did so. He fell to the ground immediately, crying out in pain, and I let his limb drop in disappointment. "Looks like you're not as impervious to harm as you seem to think you are."

"Y-You bitch..." he gritted out at me, bloodshot eyes filled with hatred.

"Yeah, whatever," I shrugged at him before turning to my crewmates. "Zoro, you grab the cage. Nami, I'd suggest you come with us. I mean, unless you'd rather stay here...?"

"No!" She shouted, shaking her head and giving me a strained smile. "I'll be coming with you!"

"Cool. In that case, let's blow this joint." Zoro and Nami headed for my brother, the swordsman hefting the iron cage easily without a serious injury to slow him down. They stopped when they noticed I wasn't following. And then stared as I walked over to the cannon, flipping it easily, and relit the shortened fuse. I made sure to smile as the Buggy Pirates began panicking madly. "And I do mean that literally."

There. That should teach them to put my brother into a fucking cage.

Anger sufficiently soothed, I practically skipped my way towards my waiting crewmates.

"Shishishi, you're pretty mean, Lili," Luffy was laughing as I made it to their side.

"They shouldn't have trapped you," I told him, unrepentant, and he simply nodded in understanding. He knew better than anyone just how much such a thing got to me. "Now, we should probably get out of here. That definitely didn't kill them and I doubt they'll be down for long, injured or not."

"She's right," Zoro agreed, stepping up to the edge and preparing to jump down. He paused when his eyes landed on Nami. "...And you are?"

She hesitated for a moment before boldly answering, "A thief!"

"This is Nami!" Luffy spoke right over her excitedly. "She's gonna be our new Navigator!"

"I never agreed to that, you idiot!"

Zoro and I shared a look. We already knew just how well _that_ kind of denial tended to work out.

.

* * *

.

"Ah, this should be far enough away," I decided, calling a halt. "They shouldn't follow us too quickly."

"That's great and all," Zoro grumbled, setting Luffy down with an almighty _thump_. He didn't even look winded. "But how the hell are we supposed to get this thing open?"

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted as he gnawed on the bars. "I can't do anything stuck in here like this!"

"And I can't cut it. The bars are way too thick."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" I demanded as I rolled my eyes, stepping forward as I pulled a pair of pins from my hair. I knelt down and got to work, the lock clicking open obediently in just a few short seconds. "You really think Dadan would've let me get up to all the shit I did in High Town without even knowing how to _pick locks_?"

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I totally forgot, shishishi!"

"You know," I spoke slowly as I opened the cage door, letting my brother free, "these bars are spaced pretty far. Instead of trying to chew through them, why didn't you just slip through? You are made of rubber, after all, it isn't like you couldn't have squeezed."

There was a moment of complete silence as everyone took in what I'd just said. And then, clearly fed up, Zoro was hitting our Captain over the head with an irritated, "You _idiot!_ "

"Sorry, sorry!" He apologized, not sounding sorry at all, as he held his hat to his head to keep it from getting knocked off. Nami, for her part, simply sighed.

"My best hope for getting out of this place is a group of idiotic pirate scum," she lamented, rubbing at her forehead tiredly.

"Well, that's not very nice," I pouted at her before my attention was stolen away by a presence I hadn't even noticed before and a smile lit up my face. "Hey! Dog!"

"Dog?" Luffy's head whipped around at my pronouncement, eyes zeroing in on the small canine quickly and, as one, we made our way over to it. "Dog!"

"Hello, there, pup," I greeted the small white thing. It didn't even twitch as my brother and I knelt before it. "You look like you're workin' pretty hard, huh?"

Luffy tilted his head, brows furrowed. "He's working? What's his job?"

"I think he's guarding," I informed him, patting the dog's head softly. "You're doing a great job, so keep it up, alright?"

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "Keep working hard!"

"Hey, you!" A voice called out from down the street and we turned to see a fairly elderly man making his way towards us, scowl on his face. "You kids better leave Chouchou alone, you hear me?!"

"Chouchou?" I asked as I stood to face him. "Is that this little guy's name?"

"That's right!"

"Who're you, old man?" Zoro asked, eyes taking in his attire which, I had to admit, was a bit strange. He was wearing pretty standard clothes, consisting of a checkered button-up shirt, dark pants and sandals. What really caught our eye, though, was the armor he was wearing on top, the plates of it covering his torso, shoulders, arms and legs. To round out the odd look, his white hair poofed out around his head.

"Me? Why, I'm the Mayor of this town!" He informed us. "Mayor Boodle!"

Both my brother and I had to turn away to hide our snorts of laughter, though I was sure our crows of ' _Boodle looks like a poodle!_ ' were easily heard. Thankfully, we were ignored.

"Anyway, do you have anything to eat around here?" Zoro asked, causing Lu and I to perk up instantly at the suggestion of food.

"Most of our supplies was taken to the refugee center," the Mayor informed us. "What we could safely take with us, anyway. I'm sure I still have a bit of nonperishables in my home, though. It's right over that way."

"Food! Food!" Luffy began to chant out in excitement, practically skipping as he followed behind the old man. I wish I could say that I acted with more dignity, but the truth was that I was feeling pretty famished at this point. I hadn't really eaten much since we'd first arrived in Shells Town and that'd been _yesterday_. So, yeah, the minute food was offered I was pretty much gone, almost drooling at the thought of being able to fill my stomach.

"How can you possibly be hungry?" Nami was demanding. "I got you food not too long ago!"

"What?" I spun to face my brother, finger pointed at his face accusingly. "You jerk! If that's the case, then I call dibs on all the good stuff!"

"What! No way! That's not fair!"

"That's totally fair! I haven't eaten anything all day! I feel like I'm gonna die!"

"No! Don't die! You can -" he grit his teeth, sweating profusely as he tried to force the words out. "You can... have all the good stuff."

If ever there was any doubt, it was things like this that proved that, yeah, my brother really loved me. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug, pressing a quick kiss to his temple. "Thanks!" And then I was off, following after the group that had continued onward during our little disagreement, Luffy right behind me. Once we'd caught up, I grabbed ahold of him, swinging our joined hands between us as I hummed under my breath. It really was sad, sometimes, just how easy it was to please me.

Between me, my brother and Zoro, the rations Mayor Boodle had saved up didn't last very long at all. It wasn't nearly enough to fill our stomachs, sadly, but it was enough so that I no longer felt sluggish with hunger. While we ate, the Mayor took the time to tell us exactly what was going on in this town. I already knew most of it, even if the details were a bit foggy, but I listened anyways. Who knew what might've changed? Or what I might've forgotten? Right now, he was explaining Chouchou's story and just why he was the only one left in town.

"You see, ten years ago his owner, a good friend of mine, opened up that shop. They've got a lot of memories there, and so do I," he admitted, his smile full of nostalgia. My crewmates and I listened on in silence, sensing that whatever had happened, this story's ending wasn't bound to be a happy one. "Did you see those wounds Chouchou had? That's from protecting the shop from the pirates."

"What?" Nami gasped, face twisting in disbelief. "I'm sure the shop means a lot to his owner, but that's just beyond cruel! Is the owner at the refugee center with the others?"

"No, he's not," the Mayor sighed, eyes dimmed in sorrow. "Chouchou's owner became ill and passed away. He left for the hospital a few months ago and was never able to return."

"I see..." Nami muttered, crossing her arms over her chest tightly. "So, he's been waiting for his owner to return all this time?"

Mayor Boodle's lips quirked up at the question. "That's what everyone says, but I don't think so. Chouchou's pretty smart and I think he knows his master is dead."

"Then why would he still guard the store?"

"Nami," I called softly, regarding her seriously when she turned questioning eyes my way. "Haven't you ever had a treasure? Not jewels or money, but a _treasure_?"

"That's right," the old man agreed even as Nami's eyes widened before flicking over to rest on my brother's straw hat. He smiled at her in response, nodding slightly. "That store is Chouchou's treasure. More than that, it's all he has left of his beloved master." He took out a long wooden pipe from his pocket and lit it, inhaling deeply before blowing out a cloud of tobacco-scented smoke. "I've been trying to get him to the shelter but he just won't budge. That dog would rather starve than leave that shop unguarded."

"I see..." Nami breathed out, a soft smile gracing her face.

The peace of the moment was broken, however, when I loud roar ripped through the air. Luffy and I stiffened instantly, sensing the large presence that was coming from the direction of the very shop we'd just been discussing. There were three distinct aura's, only one of them human. Even from here, I could sense that Chouchou's was getting weaker.

" _Son of a bitch_!" Drawn into the story and the promise of food as I was, I hadn't been paying as much attention as I should've. And now Chouchou was paying for my inattention.

Luffy and I were on the move quickly, Zoro barely a step behind us. We burst out of the house and onto the street, leaving Nami and the Mayor crying out in shock behind us as they scrambled to follow. We didn't slow down or wait for them, though. Couldn't. Because if we did, then we'd definitely arrive too late.

We skidded around the corner and I grit my teeth at the sight that lay before us. The store hadn't been set ablaze yet, thank god, but it'd clearly already been broken into. In fact, the perpetrators were inside it at this very moment, ransacking the place without a care as the little white dog lay beaten and bloody on the ground outside.

"Luffy," I spoke softly, voice trembling in repressed anger, "you better beat the _shit_ outta that guy."

His only response was a terse nod, eyes blazing and jaw clenched as he ran into the store. I stopped at Chouchou's side, falling to my knees so that I could begin inspecting his injuries. They weren't as bad as they looked but that didn't mean they were harmless, especially for such an old dog. He was ten years, at least, and wounds like this were bound to take a harsher toll. Zoro had followed my lead, only watching on grimly as Luffy charged forward.

I glanced up at the sound of a loud yelp only to see that Luffy had grabbed hold of the giant lion's tail. Gripping it tightly he turned and heaved, flipping the beast over his shoulder and tossing him straight to the other side of the street where he crashed into the building opposite. The guy who'd been riding it had just been able to let go, rolling to a stop on the ground instead. He picked himself up quickly and pointed at us, face twisted in a sneer.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded. "Don't you know who I am? I'm Mohji, the Beast Tamer of the Buggy Pirates! How dare you attack me like that?!"

"I really don't care who you are," Luffy informed him as he cracked his knuckled, face darkened in what could only be described as rage. "I'm gonna kick your ass either way."

"Tch, you think you can hold your own against _me_? Don't make me laugh! Richie!" At his command, the rubble shifted and the lion emerged, covered in dust and plaster but looking otherwise unhurt. It was at this moment Nami and the Mayor finally caught up, out of breath and wide-eyed as they realized just what was going on.

"You idiot, run!" Nami shouted out as the beast charged at my brother, fangs and claws bared. "You can't fight against a _lion!_ "

"Actually, we've fought against them before," I informed her, causing all three of them, even Zoro, to blink at me in astonishment. And it was true. There weren't many on Mt Colubo but that didn't mean there were _none_ , despite it being the wrong environment for them. To this day, I was convinced that that mountain was an experiment that had gone horribly wrong, long ago. It was the only explanation for why there were so many random, overlarge animals populating the place. "This thing is practically a kitten compared to all of them. And that's not even taking into account all the tigers."

"I can't tell if you're being serious or not," Nami admitted after a second of silence, causing me to pout at her. Just because the things I said sometimes sounded outlandish didn't mean they were untrue.

"Oh, she's serious," Zoro assured, arms crossed and gaze riveted on the fight that was taking place before us. Except, if we were being honest here, it was less of a fight and more of a total beat down. Luffy had already disposed of the lion, having twisted his arms and propelling it's face into the concrete of the road where it remained, feet twitching every now and then. As for Mohji, he was currently trying to beg forgiveness now that he'd realized my brother had eaten a Fruit like his captain had. Too bad for him, he'd made Luffy far too mad for mercy to be an option at this point.

"It's too late for apologies," my Captain informed him darkly as he stepped towards him. "Apologies won't bring back that dog's treasure. That's why I'm gonna clobber you!"

Without further ado, he stretched his arm out until he'd grabbed ahold of the - fur? Hair? - on Mohji's chest and then, ignoring the Beast Tamer's pitiful pleas, he let it snap back, muscles bulging as he landed a punch squarely into the pirate's face. There was a definite crack and then, blood flying, the man hit the ground.

He didn't get back up.

Done with that, Luffy spun on his heel and marched over to where I still sat knelt over the beaten dog's form. Chouchou had long since regained awareness, though he'd yet to move, simply watching as Luffy dolled out vengeance for him. Coming to a halt, my brother squatted down and began petting the dog softly, uncaring of the blood but mindful of his injuries.

"You did a really good job," he told him, face completely serious and voice sincere. "I didn't get to see you in action, but I can tell. You really fought well!"

Chouchou stared up at him for a moment and then, slowly, dragged himself back up onto all fours. He barked softly before butting his head against Luffy's knee then turned and did the same to me. And then, without a backwards glance, limped his way up the stairs and into the wrecked remains of his owner's shop.

The street was quiet for a moment afterwards and then Nami was stepping towards us, sheepish smile on her face. "Look, uh... Sorry I yelled at you so much earlier."

Luffy blinked up at her for a moment before smiling and getting back to his feet, dusting himself off in the process. "Nah, it's okay. I know you lost someone important to pirates, so I understand."

I followed his lead and rose to my feet, stretching this way and that as I went. "This sure has been an eventful day, huh?"

As if to corroborate my words, that was when the world, in a word, exploded.

.

* * *

.

My ears were ringing.

Luffy had reached for me instinctively in the chaos, just as I had for him, but we hadn't quite made it in time. Instead we'd been blown backwards, each of us hitting the ground and rolling harshly at the concussive force of the shockwave. Shrapnel and splintered wood flew threw the air around us, cutting and slicing as it went, and I couldn't help but wince when I landed with a large piece of stone digging into my lower back, sure that it would leave a nasty bruise.

All in all, it only lasted about a minute or two, despite feeling like it was much longer. Just a minute or two and an entire other row of houses was lost, along with the memories and treasures each held within, the Mayor's included.

"My house!" Said man cried out as he forced himself up to his knees. The rest of us stood slowly, all of us shaky from the fall we'd just taken except for Luffy, who looked more annoyed than anything at this point. "That does it!"

"Mayor?" Nami asked warily.

"I can't stand this anymore! Not after watching that kid and Chouchou fight back so bravely and especially not after this! I'm the Mayor of this town, it's my job to protect it! Not let it be destroyed!"

"Mayor, please calm down!" The orange-haired girl begged, hands held out in a soothing gesture.

"I can't!" He yelled out, eyes glinting with desperate anger. "Forty years of hard work! We built this town from nothing after our old home was destroyed by pirates! We worked tirelessly, every day! We went from a small village to a bustling town! _And look at us now_!" He gestured widely with his arms, movements almost erratic. "We're a thriving port town! We built this town from _nothing_! And now I'm watching it be destroyed, right in front of me, even though this town and it's people are my treasure! Well, no more! I won't take this sitting down!"

"Now, wait just a minute!" Nami panicked as the old man began to march his was towards the tavern, rushing forward to grab hold of him as she tried desperately to stop him. "Getting yourself killed won't accomplish anything! You're being reckless!"

" _I know I'm being reckless!_ " The sight of tears brimming in his eyes was enough to shock her, allowing the old man to continue his forward charge with a shouted challenge at the Buggy Pirates. "Buggy the Clown! Prepare to face the Mayor!"

Nami stared after him in silence until he turned out of sight before softly murmuring, "The Mayor... he was crying..."

"Was he?" My brother asked with an impish grin. "I didn't see anything. Did you, Zoro?"

"Nope, not a thing," the swordsman smirked. "Things are finally about to get fun around here, huh?"

"Shishishi, yep!"

"This isn't a laughing matter!" Nami yelled, out of patience, before turning to me pleadingly. "Please tell me you have some sense, at least!"

I smiled at her as reassuringly as I could. "Don't worry, Nami! Luffy likes that old guy just as much as I do! He's not gonna let anything happen to him, right, Lu?"

"You got that right!" My brother promised easily. "I won't let him be killed."

"What's with you guys, anyway?" She demanded. "What do you get out of this?"

"Our destination is the Grand Line," Luffy revealed. "We're gonna get that map back and then we're gonna head there together!" He held his hand up towards her. "So, join up with us. You want the map and all that treasure, right?"

She stared him down for a moment, completely blank-faced, before letting out a slow breath and slapping at his hand. "I won't become a pirate! But... I don't mind joining forces with you, at least for a little while."

"Ah, about the whole ' _all that treasure'_ deal," I interjected, causing both to blink at me before they narrowed their eyes, for completely different reasons. While Luffy was regarding me with what could only be exasperation, Nami had stiffened immediately as suspicion filled her gaze. "I don't mind if you take what we get from pirates and stuff. _But_. Only if you agree to pay our food expenses, since we won't be able to do so if all the money is going to you."

"That's fine," she agreed slowly, waiting for the catch. It wouldn't hit her until the next time we were in a restaurant and by that time it'd be far too late.

"Also," I added, "whatever I take is mine. You can have everything else, including what Luffy and Zoro can carry for you. But whatever I swipe belongs to me. Is that acceptable?"

She nodded at me, eyes still narrowed but no longer quite as on guard. "That's works for me."

"Great!" I grinned at her. "In that case, welcome to the crew! I'm sure we'll get along just fine!"

"Yeah... I'm sure," she leaned away from me, clearly caught off guard at my sudden cheer.

" _Anyway_ ," Zoro cut in, having run out of patience, "are we going to fight or not? If we take too long that old Mayor's gonna die before we even get there."

"Nope, we're going!" Luffy commanded, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward, not bothering to wait and see if we stepped in line with him, which we did.

When we got there, it was to see the Mayor being lifted into the air by a disembodied hand around his throat while Buggy ranted and raved about what treasure was and how one day it'd all be his. It was around the time he started spouting shit about becoming the ruler of the Grand Line that Luffy had enough, darting forward and prying the hand from the old guy's neck. I was right behind him, catching him so that he wouldn't hit the ground and lowered him gently as he coughed and gasped for air.

"The kid in the straw hat!" The clown snarled as my brother grinned up at him.

"I'm back! I told you I'd clobber you!"

"You must have a death wish or something, the whole lot of you." Luffy let go of the hand without a fight, letting it fly back to reattach itself to the other captain's wrist. "I hope you enjoy pain, because this time I'm not letting you escape!"

"Have fun, you guys," Nami spoke up, waving her hands dismissively at this entire situation. "I'm only here for the map and the treasure."

"I'll be going with her," I informed my Captain, ignoring the way she twitched in irritation at my words. "You two can more than handle these guys. Having me around would just be overkill."

"That's fine," he agreed easily. "Have fun!"

"You young whippersnappers..." The Mayor coughed, voice hoarse and scratchy. "This is my fight. You're all outsiders so this doesn't concern you!" He took up his weapon once more, surging to his feet and clearly planning to attack again. "This is my town and I'll protect it! So, don't you interfere!"

I didn't react at all as Luffy grabbed the old man by the back of the head and drove his face into a nearby wall, letting him slump to the ground, out cold. I ignored Nami's yelling, too, instead inspecting the damage my brother had just dolled out. The man's glasses were cracked and his nose was bleeding and he'd definitely have one hell of a knot on his head but, hey, it was better than being dead.

"He was in the way!" Luffy defended as Nami lit into him.

"Yeah, that was good thinking," Zoro agreed, only annoying the thief further. "He would've just gotten himself killed. It's safer for him unconscious."

"You're too reckless!" Nami insisted, which only caused my brother to furrow his brows at her. I sighed, knowing that saying such things was the fastest way to get him to act even _worse_. Hopefully, she'd catch onto that soon.

Taking a deep breath and turning back to face the opposing pirate crew, Luffy did just what I'd known he would and took Nami's words as a challenge. "Hey, you! Big Nose!"

Buggy's entire crew gaped in disbelief at the rubber boy's audacity while Nami, the poor thing, was working herself into a frenzy of panic. "What'd you go and do that for, you idiot?!"

"Kill him!" Buggy finally choked out, his rage practically strangling him. "Fire the Buggy Ball!"

"FIRE!"

"You idiot, don't you know when to shut up?" Nami cried as she ran, leaving us to face our fate.

"Get out of the way, Luffy!" Zoro ordered from where he'd come to a halt, noticing that my brother hadn't moved. "You're gonna get hit! Lily! _Move_!"

I stayed right where I was, entirely unconcerned. Though, I did wonder just what had Zoro in such a tizzy. Nami made sense, as she'd yet to really see Luffy's abilities, but the swordsman had gotten quite the eyeful in Shells Town. So, why was he freaking out just as badly? Though, his clear panic and concern for us was more than a bit endearing.

"That measly cannonball," Luffy taunted, "ain't gonna work on me." And with that he was drawing in an impossibly deep breath, until his stomach had expanded and he looked like the move's namesake, a balloon. Not a moment later the cannonball was hitting him dead center, causing his body to bow with the force as it tried to keep going. Eventually, though, it ran out of momentum and when it did, my brother's body was snapping it right back where it came from, right into the Buggy Pirate's faces.

"You could have at least told us what you were doing," Zoro grumbled, bandanna pulled down so that it shadowed his eyes and hid a bit of his embarrassment. "Making me worry for nothing."

"That evens the odds a bit, huh?" Luffy asked cheerfully.

"The odds were closer to even before," I pointed out. "Now they're even more in our favor."

"Oh, yeah, that's true," he admitted before he shrugged. "Was still fun, though."

"What _are_ you?" Nami finally broke out of her shock to demand. "I mean, I knew there was something odd about you. You did pile-drive a lion, after all. What kind of human are you? How can you inflate your body like a balloon?"

"It's called the Gomu Gomu no Fusen," my brother informed her, expression sincere but for the mischief in his eyes.

"But how did you do it?!" She exploded. Before he could actually answer her, the sound of shifting rubble caught our attention and we looked back towards where the tavern had once stood to watch as two men and the lion, all unconscious and smoking, were lifted up and thrown aside to reveal the scuffed up but otherwise unharmed forms of Buggy and Cabaji. Nami's hand came up to cover her mouth in shock, eyes wide with disgust. "He used his own men as shields..."

"Captain," Cabaji's voice rang out in the sudden silence, sounding almost casual, "this is the greatest disgrace we've faced since you formed our crew."

"I'm so mad, I can't even speak," Buggy admitted, handless arms crossed tightly over his chest and face tilted down so that it was cast into shadow.

I sighed as Mohji popped up out of the rubble next, bored of this entire situation. "We're going," I informed Luffy, receiving a nod in return. I grabbed Nami by the arm as I went. "While they're distracted. Now's our best chance."

"Right," she agreed, though a bit reluctantly. Clearly, she was curious about what was going to happen next.

"It's the Gomu Gomu no Mi," I informed her, causing her to blink at me uncomprehendingly. "The reason my brother stretches like that. He ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi when we were kids."

"Wait, so he's eaten a Devil Fruit?" She demanded, then shook her head. " _Wait_ , he's your _brother_?!"

"You couldn't tell?" I asked, genuinely shocked. We weren't identical, having been born as different genders. My figure was softer, regardless of the muscle mass I'd been able to gain, and rather curvy by this point. Luffy, on the other hand, was pretty scrawny, all long skinny limbs. Regardless, though, we still looked fairly similar.

"Well," her face was a little pink in embarrassment, "it makes sense _now_. But I hadn't realized it before."

I thought about that for a moment before shrugging. "Well, whatever. To answer your questions, yes, he ate a Devil Fruit and yes, he's my brother. Twin, to be exact."

She hummed, "I can definitely see it now. It explains why you seem so close. I figured you must have known each other for awhile since the three of you move like a well oiled machine."

"Well, actually, we've only known Zoro for about a day," I admitted.

She stared at me, not even paying attention to which direction we were running in anymore. "A day." She finally spoke, voice inflectionless. "You've known him... for a day."

"Yep!" I agreed cheerfully, ignoring her outright disbelief. "Though we were stuck in a small boat that whole time, so I guess it makes sense that we'd get close. Though, he wasn't too happy when he woke up to find us snuggling with him, that's for sure."

"You... snuggled with Roronoa Zoro," she echoed faintly. " _Pirate Hunter Zoro_ , the guy who's rumored to be a demon in the form of a man."

"Pretty much," I admitted. "Though he's actually a pretty big softie. It's adorable, especially since he's so awkward."

"I... I don't even know what to say to that," she groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Ah, don't worry so much! You're gonna love traveling with us!" I tried to reassure her. "You'll never get bored, that's for sure! Why, just yesterday my brother and I got sucked into a whirlpool and survived by riding in a barrel. Then we freed this kid who'd been enslaved by this pirate lady. And then we freed a town from an oppressive Marine Captain who was abusing his position, gaining Zoro as a crewmate in the process! And today, we're here!"

"Please, just... stop talking," Nami pleaded weakly. "I'm already regretting this enough as it is."

I shrugged at her. "Whatever. We're here anyways." We'd ended up taking the long way round, just to be on the safe side. Distracted or not, it wouldn't have been smart to go straight for their treasure stash.

Nami showed her own prowess as she knelt before the door, lock picks in hand, and had it clicking open in seconds. She looked back at me to share a smirk, since she'd seen my own mastery of the art earlier, and then we were both heading inside. The building was pretty small, no more than a shed, really, but it was filled almost to the max. I grabbed one of the cloth bags that'd been folded by the door and got to work picking my way through everything, only taking the things that truly caught my eye. Nami wasn't anywhere near as picky, practically shoveling stuff in as she filled bag after bag as quickly as she could.

"You know," she finally spoke after several minutes of silence. "You'd better hope that your brother wins and gets that map from Buggy. Otherwise, after I collect this treasure, I'm out. There's no use traveling with you guys unless we're able to go to the Grand Line like we agreed."

I hummed at her noncommittally, not answering one way or the other, though I couldn't quite keep my lips from twitching in amusement. Thankfully, she didn't catch the action, intent on the gold around us as she was. "We should probably hurry up." I suggested instead as I snagged a gorgeous amethyst necklace and slipped it over my head. Two others soon joined it, one encrusted with cut blue Apatite while the other held a large Spessartite Garnet.

We reemerged into sunlight just in time to see Luffy's hat, his most prized and treasured possession, be speared through by three of Buggy's knives.

I ground to a halt as I stared, disbelieving, as Shanks' voice drifted through my mind, agreeing to meet up with us after my brother had reached his goal so that his hat could be returned. Only now it looked seconds away from being completely torn apart.

"You call this ugly old thing your treasure?" Buggy taunted as he held it up, his wrist now reconnected, paying no heed to my brother's growing fury.

"Give that back!" Luffy demanded murderously as he charged forward. "I promised I'd return that hat to Shanks!"

"What, this is Shanks' hat?" The clown grumbled, tossing it to the ground and spitting on it for good measure. "I thought it looked familiar. Shanks and I worked on the same ship together awhile ago... You could say we were apprentice pirates."

"Shanks is a great man!" Luffy roared, cocking his fist back and ignoring Buggy's ' _Bara Bara Quick Escape_ ', not aiming for his head at all but instead his stomach. "Don't you dare put yourself on the same level as him!"

I made my way forward as Buggy hit the ground, coughing at the force of the hit, and got to my brother's side just as he was picking his hat back up, wiping the spit onto the clown's face before handing it over to me for safekeeping. I took it from him instantly, not wanting any further damage to occur to it when it already looked like it was about to fall apart.

"Don't ever mention Shanks and yourself in the same breath again!" Luffy commanded, tugging viciously at Buggy's cheeks.

"I don't know what your connection to him is," the other captain ground out, "but I can say whatever I like!"

"Don't come apart!" Luffy slammed his fist into Buggy's face again, tone full of annoyance and clearly done playing around.

"I don't understand," I spoke up before either of them could do anything else. My brother paused, though he kept a tight hold and a close eye on his captive, giving me the time I needed to ask what I wanted. "Shanks and you were on the same crew which means... you know whose hat this originally was."

Buggy's eyes widened at me. " _You_ know whose it was?!"

"It's not all that hard to figure out," I shrugged, though maybe that was unfair. Who knew if I actually would've come to that conclusion if I didn't have the knowledge I did? "Which is why I don't understand how you could defile this hat in such a way. Yeah, it belonged to Shanks but it belonged to your old captain first. Or do you hate him, too?"

"Of course I don't!" I was a bit surprised at the genuine hurt that was in the clown's tone at the very suggestion of such a thing. "The Roger Pirates were the best to ever sail the seas, and the Captain was at the top of them all!"

"Then why?" I asked again, softening my tone. "How could you do such a thing to something that once belonged to him?"

"Tch, I don't have to tell you anything! It's not like you'd understand, even if I did!" His face continued to darken, his scowl growing more and more fierce. "Because of that bastard Shanks I had to give up all the treasure in the sea! So instead, I'll just take all the treasure _on_ it with my Bara Bara no Mi! And I'll cut up anyone who lays a finger on what's mine!"

His hand disconnected, flying at top speeds straight at my face, and he laughed as he expected me to be stabbed straight through. Instead, I focused my haki into my hand as I'd done earlier and caught his blades without a flinch. "Really, don't you learn? That's not going to work on us."

"You -"

I crushed the appendage in my grip at the same time Luffy brought his own obsidian fist down on Buggy's face once more, cutting off the man's scream of pain before he could even make it. This time, the clown captain stayed blissfully silent.

"God, that was annoying," I grumbled as I let the disembodied hand drop limply to the ground, fingers all bent at gruesome angles. "Can we send these guys packing and just get out of here already?"

"Mm, I wanna get going, too," Luffy admitted, staring forlornly at the hat I still had ahold of. He was clearly feeling down about it's current appearance.

"Don't worry, we'll fix it," I promised gently, reaching out to run my fingers through his hair soothingly. "And Shanks won't be mad."

"Yeah," he sighed, "okay."

.

* * *

.

Gathering the pirates didn't take long at all, seeing as how most of them were still awake and had just been playing possum in the rubble. They were more than willing to collect their captain and be on their way, so long as it meant we didn't harm them further.

We waited until their ship had passed the horizon, just to be sure, before climbing into our own boats to set sail. It was as we were about to cast off that Nami leaned over the edge of her larger vessel to send a smile our way.

"Well, it was nice working with you," she told us pleasantly, "but it looks like this is where we part ways."

"What?" Luffy demanded, brows furrowing. "No way! You said you'd be our Navigator!"

"I said I'd work with you if we went to the Grand Line," she corrected, full-on smirking. "And yet, you never got the map from Buggy."

My brother cursed, having clearly forgotten about it, while Zoro just grumbled, annoyed. For my part, I was smiling wide, an expression that clearly unnerved the other woman.

"What are you grinning for?" She finally demanded, looking a bit put out. "I just told you I wouldn't be going with you!"

"Oh, but I think you will be," I assured her, reaching into the front of my jacket and pulling out a roll of paper. "Seeing as how we have the map, and all."

"What -" Nami and Zoro both stared at me while Luffy laughed in pure delight, entirely unsurprised. "When did you have the time to get that?!"

"I've had it since that first fight on the tavern roof," I admitted, enjoying the looks on their faces as they just got more disbelieving.

"That long ago?"

"Then why didn't you say anything sooner?!"

I shrugged, unrepentant. "Where would the fun in that be?"

"Shishishi, Lili sure got us good!"

" _Shut up_!"

I joined in my brother's laughter, unable to hold it in anymore. "Regardless, it looks like we got ourselves a navigator, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nami grumbled, though she didn't look nearly as annoyed as she was trying to seem. "Just don't forget your end of the bargain."

"We won't," Lu promised, satisfaction rolling off of him in waves. He held his hand out to me for a high-five and I obliged him instantly. "We get another member!"

"We're on a roll!"

Zoro scoffed and rolled his eyes at our antics, because the smirk on his face said he was just as pleased with this turn of events.

"Alright!" Luffy yelled, slipping into his Captain Voice. "Let's set sail!"

"Aye aye!"

We'd only made it out into the bay when the Mayor's voice caught our attention, causing us to turn as one to find him waving his arms over his head at us, tears streaming down his face as he yelled out his gratitude. We all smiled and waved back. At least, until Nami noticed what lay at the ground at his feet.

"Is that... a bag of treasure?" She demanded, her eyes practically pinning me where I stood.

"Yep!" I admitted easily. "It's my share, don't worry."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" She yelled at me, annoyed. "How could you just leave it there like that?!"

"Well, they're gonna need to pay for repairs to their town somehow," I pointed out, shrugging. "What better to use than the loot of the pirates who destroyed it in the first place?"

"Way to go!" Luffy approved, instantly. I knew he'd like that I'd done it, seeing as he'd done the same thing in canon.

Nami let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping dejectedly. "Thanks for making me feel horrible," she grumbled out. "Still, though... All that treasure, _gone_."

" _Well_ ," I hedged, making a see-saw motion with my hand. "Not _all_ of it." Seeing her intense gaze on me once more, I sighed and fished out the three necklaces I still wore around my neck. "They were pretty and I couldn't pass them up."

"Oooh," Luffy admired them, starry-eyed.

"This one reminds me of Sabo," I told him, pointing out the blue one. "And this one of Ace."

He nodded seriously, grinning at the very thought of our older brothers. "Yeah! Cuz Sabo always wore blue and Ace was a hothead."

"You don't really have room for saying that," I pointed out dryly, to which he simply shrugged. "I meant more along the lines of him wanting to get the Mera Mera no Mi."

"Oh, yeah! I'd totally forgotten about that. I wonder if he's found it by now..."

"Who knows?"

"You know," Nami pointed out blandly, facing leaning against the palm of her hand, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Me neither," Zoro pointed out, even though he looked far more ready for naptime than a story.

"Ah! Sabo and Ace are our big brothers," Luffy told them, grinning.

"You have even more siblings?" the thief asked, surprised.

"Mm, though we're not related to them by blood," I revealed, unable to keep the fond smile off of my face as I thought back to that day with the sake so many years ago.

"That's right, we're sworn siblings! We shared cups of sake!"

"How does that work?"

And so we sailed on, stories of times long gone passing our lips as we moved ever closer to reaching our dreams on the wide open sea.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: Was that an odd way to end the chapter? Maybe. Do I care? Not really. I've been writing nonstop all night and I am ready to go to _bed_. **

**Welcome, Nami! It's a bit exhausting writing her because she reacts to _everything_. But, I can't deny that I love her character. Hopefully it won't take long for her to find some chill. **

**So, I had to throw in that bit about Buggy and the hat. I just had to. Ever since it was revealed that Buggy was a cabin boy on Roger's ship and that the hat originally belonged to the Pirate King himself, it's always baffled me that Buggy could treat it with such disrespect. Was it just because it made it an interesting plot point at the time and, since it was so far in the beginning, Buggy's connection to the hat's original owner wasn't completely fleshed out yet? Or? I don't know, I just know it's always bothered me, and I know that it would bother Lily just as much. We didn't get an answer, seeing as how I honestly can't think of a single one that would make sense beyond Buggy just _not caring_ , which doesn't feel quite right to me, no matter what he says in the flashback in this arc. **

**As for why the hat still ended up getting ripped even though Luffy's stronger now, the explanation is simple: Luffy was playing with him and wasn't taking the fight seriously, because he knew Buggy was weaker. Which just goes to show that just because someone's weaker doesn't mean they can't still beat you if you get cocky. It's a lesson that both canon Luffy and this Luffy needs to learn sometimes.**

 **We're never given a time frame for how long it takes them to get from Shells Town to Orange Town (at least in the manga it doesn't, I have no clue about the anime) so I went with a day. Because they didn't really have rations in the boat when they left the marine base, so they couldn't have been floating about for that long. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong and we can just call it artistic licence or something.**

 **Also, this has reached over 200 reviews! How exciting is that?! Thank you all so so so much!**

 **xenocanaan: You aren't being pushy. I do plan to do them, but they won't be a part of this fic. I'll be making a side fic eventually where I'll put all of that stuff, though I don't know when for sure that will be.**

 **Hikari Kaiya: There's going to be a lot of bonding between all of the crew, Zoro and Sanji included, I promise!**

 **Lightsbane1905: Your suggestions don't bother me, I promise! Even if I don't implement them, I still appreciate the fact that you're putting so much thought into it and that you like this fic enough _to_ think about it. And, hey! Step one of the Straw Hat Puppy Pile has already been completed! Poor Zoro never saw it coming haha**

 **OPF: I love writing Luffy and Lily interactions myself, honestly, and I go out of my way to add as much fluff to their relationship as possible. And we'll be finding out about the Rocket next chapter, once they get to Syrup Village! Also, I haven't seen any of the fillers for the anime, since I haven't watched the anime itself. But you saw how she reacted to him being put in a cage, so I'm sure you could imagine how she'd react to that. Thank you so much for your praise, oh gosh haha really, it means a lot to me!**

 **Juliedoo: omg thank you so much! We got to see more scolding!Lily in this chapter... I have a feeling she'll be doing that a lot. She's gonna become the pack mom of the Straw Hats or something, I just know it. And I regret it not at all.**

 **furuba-suzume: Don't worry, Monkey sibling interactions will always be a top priority to me haha and thank you! I'm trying hard to follow the plot but also change it up, so that it's not boring but also because Lily's here now which is bound to make things different. I'm glad that I seem to be succeeding so far!**

 **Catflower Queen: I feel like Hancock wouldn't mind so much, since Lily's his sister. At least, not after Luffy's helped her chill out. Besides, I feel like she'd appreciate Luffy's reasoning. She's always been seen as a _thing_ of beauty and I think what she loves most about Luffy is the fact that he just sees her as a person. To him, she's not beautiful, she's just Hancock. I feel like even canon Luffy is just a giant troll most of the time, especially going back and reading through all of these early chapters. And honestly, I love it, because right now Lily's the only one who realizes it. Their reactions when it finally dawns on the rest of them are bound to be priceless. And yeah, they're planning on training, both for their crewmates and to continue their own. But they have to wait for the Merry to do it, since there really isn't enough room for it on a row boat. And yeah... Helmeppo better not let that one slip if he wants to live, huh? I just love the dynamic between Luffy and Lily, I can't get enough of writing it in all honestly. It's one of my favorite things to write so far. As for what Garp would've done if they'd wanted to live peaceful civilian lives... I feel like he would've supported it whole-heartedly. He would've still trained them, I think, but the whole reason they were given to Dadan in the first place was to hide them away. Who'd think spawns of the Pirate King and the Leader of the Revolutionaries would be hiding out in Goa Kingdom being raised by mountain bandits? I feel like all he wants is for his grandkids to be safe and out from under the threat of execution. Which would be simple if all they want is to live a quiet life. But, no, instead they decided they wanted to be pirates and just had to go and make his life complicated, didn't they? Haha Thank you for the review!**

 **Stolyint: They will be introducing haki to the rest of the crew. Lily knows how necessary it's going to be while Luffy is all for helping his nakama get stronger. But, they have to wait for Merry to get started, so that they'll have the space they need.**

 **Celeste D. Lilica: I could totally see Zoro just blandly admitting it, not even realizing that he's just dug his own grave omg**

 **athenaincarnate: One of my biggest pet peeves is when an OC takes away from Luffy's character or his interaction with others. I simply cannot stand it because building a relationship with the other members doesn't mean you have to weaken another's by taking moments that should be theirs. I think the problem is they get too sucked up into their knowledge of events, honestly, where Lily's just kinda blase about the whole deal at this point. Like, yeah, she knows the future so what? Haha I feel like Luffy wouldn't react the same way Sabo or Ace would because he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that his sister can handle herself and will ask for help if she can't. He's not about to take away her ability to stand up for herself. That being said, he definitely hates it when others try to claim possession over her because he's knows just how much Lily doesn't want to be trapped by anyone or anything. So to hear someone say they're going to _own_ her? Yeah, he can go a little crazy because of that. I do plan to write more about their downtime than is shown in canon, I really do. Maybe not whole chapters, but pieces here and there at least. I feel like even though the crew is so close, they really don't know each other at all, and I hope to remedy that. Hey, more Lily fight scenes in this chapter! They might not have been action packed but they showed off a bit more of what she can do. And yeah, I see her getting along well with Zoro and them having a pretty sibling-esque relationship. I did notice in the manga how Zoro is more playful before the Baratie arc and I've always assumed it was because of his fight with Mihawk. Fighting and losing was a heavy blow to him, worse than the actual wound he received in a way, and he had to carry that scar for the rest of his life. Not to mention his vow to Luffy afterwards, to never lose again. In his fight with Hachi he even comments that his sword is heavier, because of the weight of the promises he's made with it. So, yeah, I think that's mostly to blame for him becoming more serious but I also feel like Lily and Luffy would do their bests to draw him into the fun. And I do have something planned for Sanji, I promise haha hopefully when you all read it you'll approve, since it seems to be one of the most asked questions, how exactly I'll handle it. I'm gonna make all of these adorable dumb pirates bffl's whether they like it or not! Haha**

 **chickeyd: Ahaha every chapter I write is actually often done in a single sitting, no matter the length. It's probably not a very good habit to have, but I'm a little nervous of stepping away once I'm in my grove and losing it, ya know? Anyways, thank you so much for the review!**

 **Chaos341: I don't see Luffy as in need of being "fixed" either and you can bet your ass that Lily definitely doesn't haha Luffy's actually really intelligent, even in canon. It's not all that apparent, what with the way he acts, but how else would he be capable of making so many deductive leaps in battle? How else would he be able to adapt to any given situation with practical ease or make up new techniques on the fly? Yeah, Luffy's not a traditional kind of smart but he's sure as hell not stupid, in my opinion haha**

 **Appirinia: This story was recommended on another sight? Oh, gosh, wow... That's, like, really exciting for me actually! I never thought I'd have a fic that got _rec'd_! Sorry for gushing I'm pretty much bursting with joy right now haha Anyways, thank you so much for your review! It really means a lot!**

 **Mytheos: I would hope that Helmeppo would at least have that much self-preservation. Then again, when he meets Zoro and Luffy again in Water 7 he pretty much goes out of his way to remind them of every awful thing he did to them, so who knows? Haha I would hope that they'd have to go through some kind of sensitivity training at least, especially since they probably have to deal with traumatized victims of pirate attacks regularly as well. Then again, most of the marines in the One Piece world kind of suck as people, so it's really fifty-fifty on the likelihood. It's not too nosy to read other's reviews, don't worry haha and yes, I really do see them becoming bros. She is working hard on it, though it's been stalled for the time being since they don't really have the room to train. You got to see some of how far she's gotten with armament in this chapter. /sweats nervously/ Uh... I don't know if I'd call Ace's reason _great_ , per say...**

 **AzureLazuli: I still can't believe it was rec'd on another site, I'm just way too excited about that! Haha Well, welcome, and thank you for taking a leap and giving my fic a try! I'm glad that you like it! Yeah, I'm trying really hard to make sure Lily doesn't take away from the other characters and their development. She wouldn't want to further herself if it meant tearing one of her crewmates down in the process. And she wouldn't want to get in the way of Luffy's bonds with the others because she knows how important they are, seeing as he is the captain and all. I've never liked it when other characters in fics would interfere with that, so I don't intend to ever do it myself. Ah, the Straw Hat Puppy Piles... It's already started, with Zoro being the first victim. As for sleeping arrangements when they get the Merry, I do have a plan for that!**

 **pokeloon15: I honestly haven't been able to decide on a position in the crew for her. The one I'm leaning most towards is Quartermaster but I haven't done any research on it yet and so I don't want to state it as a set thing until I do.**

 **JadeNoRyuu: Zoro's first reaction was flustered annoyance! Haha sorry I kind of skimmed by it but I assure you, it will not be the last Puppy Pile Zoro is drawn into unwillingly, not by a long shot! As for the books Dragon gave to Lily, they're all safely stored away in their tree house with the rest of their possessions, besides the few things they took with them. She'd already more or less memorized them all except for the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia so she didn't want to have to lug them all around until they got the Merry, especially knowing there was such a high chance of them getting lost or destroyed before then.**

 **OreoNinja: Now that Nami's part of the crew, she might. And yeah, forced bonding! ...Just not quite in this chapter! But I will be adding more downtime information in here and there in the coming chapters. Once they have the Merry, probably. In canon Luffy never really trained much after he set sail, besides what he did during the two year timeskip. I'm fairly certain Lily would in no way accept that, especially since it would cripple her own training. And the other Straw Hats better be prepared to get dragged into it, too! Omg yes, they would totally be Luffy's watchdogs while exploring new places, Zoro to keep him out of trouble and Lily to keep them _both_ out of trouble while also making sure they don't get irrevocably lost. I've been thinking of naming her Quartermaster but I just haven't done my research on it yet and so I haven't made it official. Though, really, at this point it feels more like she'll be the ship mom or something, what with the way she's been scolding people left and right haha The Puppy Pile has begun and now they just need to continue chipping away at his resolve until he inevitably gives in! Haha **

**Deus Ferae: Ah, yeah, the muse for this fic has been pretty insistent! Hopefully it continues to be! Thank you so much for your review!**

 **As for my question regarding adding more crewmates, most of you said that you were willing to follow my lead, no matter which decision I ended up making, and I'm honestly honored by the trust you guys have in my writing ability. But, still, most of you also stated that you didn't think it would be a good idea, unless I really truly wanted to go for it. But, seeing as how you guys weren't too excited about it, I've decided not to. I can try to make it so that they're on better or closer standings with the people they meet but I won't be adding any new faces to the Straw Hat's line-up. I'm sorry to any of you who are disappointed by this.**

 **Anyways, there it is! Thanks, as always, for reading and please favorite, follow or leave a review to let me know what you think!**

 ***EDIT* Thank you milpld for pointing out my mistake with Buggy's bounty! It has been fixed!**


	18. Chapter 18

I awoke to the sound of poorly concealed snickering.

Cracking one hazy brown eye open against the glare of the morning sun, I found Nami leaning over the side of her boat with a large, sly grin on her face as she looked in my general direction. I was not ashamed to admit that it took me a second to figure out what had her looking so giddy, sluggish as my brain was from just waking up. But once I actually tuned into my surroundings, it wasn't that hard to understand.

Because Luffy, Zoro and I were sleeping in a giant pile. This was usual for my brother and I, and I wasn't all that surprised that the swordsman had been drawn into it as well. But whereas yesterday we'd only ended up sprawled on top of the man, now he was fully integrated into our tangle of limbs.

I gently flexed my muscles in a bid to find out just which body parts actually belonged to me, as it was kind of hard to tell. I came to the conclusion that the shin I was using as a pillow was far too squishy to belong to anyone other than Luffy while the chest my legs were draped over had to belong to Zoro, who had unfortunately ended up at the bottom, though one of his own legs had ended up flung over my chest. Luffy was laid out over both of our stomachs, his arms wrapped tightly around me while he snored away into Zoro's hip, leaving an ever-growing pool of drool in his wake.

"I had honestly thought that you were joking," Nami admitted cheerfully when she caught my eye. I did my best to shrug at her from beneath their combined weight.

"Most of the times, if it sounds totally unbelievable that probably means I'm telling the truth," I informed her. She quirked her eyebrow at me when I made no further attempt to move, content to stay right where I was. It'd be pretty futile to try and get up anyway; I'd learned long ago that there was no getting Luffy to loosen his hold while he was sleeping. Instead, I asked, "How far are we from the next island?"

"Hm," she hummed in thought, glancing up to check the sky even though I was certain she didn't need to. "Well, we'll be coming up on a small one in about twenty minutes or so. It's uninhabited but I figured we could at least see if we could restock on fruit there or something, since we're out of food."

"Food?" Luffy's head popped up, eyes barely squinted open. "There's food?"

"Not yet, Lu," I murmured to him, feeling just as disappointed as he looked. I really was starving at this point. "But soon, hopefully."

"Food!" With the future promise of something in his stomach, he was scrambling up and to his feet, wide awake within seconds. Used to this, I concentrated hard on protecting my abdomen against wayward knees with my Armament. Zoro, unfortunately, wasn't quite so lucky and took an elbow straight to the gut.

"What the -" He jackknifed up into a sitting position, confused scowl on his face as his eyes scanned over the rest of us. Slowly, he came to the right conclusion and growled low in his throat. "I told you yesterday that I'm not a pillow, dammit!"

"Aw, but Zoro, you're so comfy!" I tried to sound as innocent as I could but wasn't quite able to stop the smirk from quirking at my lips.

"Shut up, I am not!" He denied instantly before he froze, eyes narrowing dangerously as he placed his hand on the large wet spot on his side. When he spoke next, his voice was the frightening kind of calm. "Did you drool on me?"

I pointed towards my brother instantly, not at all afraid to throw him under this metaphorical bus.

"I was dreaming," he informed us, oblivious to the danger he was currently in. "There was meat everywhere! There was chicken and fish and crocodile and tiger and wolf and bear and gorilla and..."

I blocked him out as he went on and on, watching instead as Zoro began twitching, shaking with barely constrained anger until finally he exploded and lunged forward, sending our small craft rocking dangerously as he tackled my brother to the ground and began attempting to strangle him.

"Uh... aren't you going to stop him?" Nami asked me, sounding unsure and more than a little afraid. She probably honestly thought she was about to watch Luffy die at the hands of the so-called Demon Pirate Hunter.

"Nah," I shrugged, entirely blase about the whole thing as I hopped up onto the railing beside her. "He's made of rubber, it's kind of hard to choke him with regular methods."

"Oh, right!" She exclaimed, remembering, before turning back to the attempted homicide before us. "Zoro realizes that, too, right?"

"Probably." I shook my head at her continued uncertainty. "Zoro's a really nice guy, actually. He comes off as a bit intense and his resting faces tend to be a bit frightening but he's a good man. And he has a good heart. Luffy wouldn't have invited him otherwise." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye as I added, "The same goes for you, too."

"What?" She asked, thrown off guard before instantly shaking her head in denial. "No, he only wanted me because I said I was the best navigator around, which I _am_. I tricked him, yelled at him, put him down... I'm not a good person."

"Hm," I kept my eyes on Luffy and Zoro's continued wrestling match, which was quickly about to devolve into a tickle fight if the mischievous glint in my brother's eyes was anything to go by. "You also saved him from getting blown up by that cannon, putting yourself in danger in the process."

"I just didn't want to see someone die before my eyes, that's all," she muttered, eyes dark with past pain.

"And that's why you're a good person," I told her, voice full of so much sincerity that she blinked at me in awe. It was an expression I had grown used to seeing on Ace's face. To see it on her's now made my heart clench. "You have a good heart, whether you believe it or not. I can see it. And Luffy sees it, too. That's why he would've wanted you on the crew, navigator or not."

We descended into a silence that was only broken by choked laughter and Zoro's curses as he tried to escape from Luffy's relentlessly tickling fingers, my brother crowing all the while that this was what he got for attacking the Captain. I smiled fondly at the sight of them.

"Well, it doesn't matter either way," Nami finally spoke again, her expression forcefully blank. "I already told you I won't be joining your crew. This is only temporary, and then I'm gone."

I shrugged at her easily, knowing all the while that that would never be the case. Luffy already saw her as one of his nakama and he wasn't about to let her go any time soon. "If you say so."

"I do," she told me firmly. Then she shook her head, as if shaking off the entire conversation. "Hey, Luffy!" She reached below her and pulled up his hat, freshly mended and looking as good as new, but for the faint lines running through it. "Here!"

She tossed it to him and he caught it easily, finally letting our red-faced swordsman go in order to inspect his treasure with giddy excitement instead. "You fixed it!"

"I just mended the cuts," she shrugged, obviously not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Just don't poke at it and it should be fine."

My brother, of course, instantly began poking at it.

" _Luffy._ " He froze, recognizing my tone, before laughing sheepishly and placing his beloved hat back on his head. I sighed before turning to regard Nami seriously. "You have got to stop saying stuff like that. He only takes it as a challenge."

"I was just telling him not to rip it again! How is that a challenge?!"

"You're telling him not to do something," I explained patiently, my tone causing her to twitch in annoyance nonetheless. "To him, that translates as you saying he _can't_. Which means he's going to go out of his way to prove that he _can._ "

She spluttered for a few seconds before finally gritting out, "What is he, _seven_?"

"Mentally? Sometimes," I admitted. Her only answer was to groan, which I couldn't really blame her for.

"Hey," Zoro, having finally recaught his breath and looking more than a bit disgruntled, called out, "there's an island incoming!"

"That island is uninhabited," she informed us, binoculars held up to her face to get a better look at it. "It's going to be pretty useless. There might be some fruit on it, but it's iffy. We'd probably have better luck sailing on. The next island isn't too far out and we'd be able to reach it by midday."

" _No way_!" My brother and I both vetoed instantly. We were not going to last until midday without food when there was a perfectly good island right here.

"Why not?" Nami demanded, irritated.

"Because we might find another crewmate there!" Luffy exclaimed.

"I just told you it was uninhabited!"

"I don't know what that means," he admitted, shameless, before turning to me.

"It means no one lives there," I explained before grinning at him. "And if no one lives there, that means we can have a spar!"

He brightened instantly, bouncing in place. "Oh! Oh! We haven't been able to spar in _days_!"

Of course, I knew it wasn't empty. My memories of this place were vague at best, but I knew without a doubt that someone lived here. And even if I didn't remember that much at least, my haki was confirming the same thing. The place was crawling with auras, most of them animal, but there was a human one as well. It was tiny, feeling almost cramped, but it was there.

"Whatever," Nami groaned, obviously seeing that fighting at this point would be meaningless. "Let's just go."

We were docking within minutes, stretching as we stepped off onto dry land. Luffy practically skipped forward, cheering " _Spar! Spar!_ " all the while. Nami was muttering behind us as she and Zoro stayed standing by the boats but I could still see the curiosity in her eyes. The swordsman wasn't even trying to hide his own interest, sharp eyes snapping back and forth between Luffy and I so that he wouldn't miss anything.

"Rules?" Luffy called out from where he'd stopped, a respectable distance from me but not too close to the forest, either. I could sense the person I'd noticed earlier nearby, likely hidden in the bushes and keeping an eye on us. From the way my brother's head was tilted minutely in the same direction, I knew that he'd noticed, too.

"No stretching," I answered immediately. There wasn't much he could do about his body's resistance to blunt hits but he could at least prevent himself from stretching intentionally. "You can only use Observation, I can only use Armament."

"Yosh!" He agreed instantly, falling into a starting stance, legs spread in order to brace himself and fists held up at the ready. I followed his lead, falling into a similar stance, though I instead kept one of my palms open and held out flat. "Ready?"

I smirked at him, "Bring it on."

With that, we were lunging at each other. Luffy threw the first punch, aimed straight for my face, but I ducked it easily and went for a leg sweep, causing him to jump up high. I followed through with my momentum, spinning around even as I stood and aimed a second kick high up. He brought his own leg up to guard, meeting my foot with his shin, and I pushed him back with enough force to send him flying. He flipped midair, landing on his feet easily, before charging at me once more.

It was hard for me to work up the concentration needed to apply my Armament while also avoiding his strikes. Strength may have been my brother's biggest asset but he was no slouch when it came to speed. And he was definitely going out of his way to make sure I didn't have any time to focus on more than not getting hit.

Spinning around a punch, I grabbed hold of his outstretched arm and bashed my elbow into his face. It wouldn't hurt him, but it stunned him for a second at the very least. A second I used to my advantage. Hand now covered in obsidian, I drew my fist back and shot it forward, expecting it to hit him dead on.

Instead, he leaned out of the way just in time for it to pass by harmlessly, eyes closed and smug smirk spread across his face. Now, I was the one with an open guard and, just like me, he wasted no time in taking advantage of it. Only, instead of going for a hit like I had done, he grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled, causing me to lose my balance just enough for him to get his shoulder into my abdomen. From there, it was easy for him to use my own weight against me, even if he hadn't been strong enough, to flip me over so that I landed heavily on my back in the sand.

"I win!" He grinned down at me. I pouted, but only for a second, too hyped up to stay mad for long.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled good-naturedly, sitting up easily and wiping at my brow. It hadn't been an intensive match, but I'd still worked up a sweat in the mid-morning heat.

"Lili needs to work on her Armament," Luffy commanded seriously and, well, he wasn't wrong. I really did.

"That was amazing!" Nami called out as she trotted over, falling to her knees beside me in the sand and gripping my shoulders when I tried to lean away from her. "You were going blow for blow with a monster like him, like it was nothing!"

"Ah, well, we have been training together since we were kids," I told her, a bit thrown by the intensity in her eyes.

"But how?" She asked, almost demanded. "You don't have a Devil Fruit, too, do you?"

"Nope, completely human."

"Then how did you get so strong?" She sounded almost desperate and I could hear the unspoken ' _And how do I get that strong?_ ' in her tone. It made sense. From what I remembered, she'd been under Arlong's control for years now, unable to fight back or do anything for fear of losing what was left of her loved ones. Hadn't Alrong even said something along the lines of her trying to kill him in the past? Via poisons and hiring bounty hunters?

Of course Nami would want to be strong. Of course she wanted to be able to fight for herself, having learned so long ago not to put her trust and faith in the strength of others. But she'd never looked this desperate for power and that was what was throwing me off.

But, maybe it was because there hadn't been a member like me in canon? It was one thing for the men to be outrageously strong, in most people's minds, and probably Nami's as well. Because to most, men were inherently stronger anyways. So, instead, she'd relied on her mind and her wits to get her by and then later on her Clima-Tact. Robin was strong, but she was a Devil Fruit user which put her in an entirely different league.

But here I was, a normal girl with no Fruit powers, and I was able to hold my own against Luffy, someone she'd already seen was strong. Which meant that she could get strong, too.

"Nami," I turned to face her, regarding her seriously as I did so. "I worked myself to the bone, day in and day out. I trained constantly with my brothers, refusing to let them pull ahead. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm weak. And it doesn't mean you are, either."

Her lip was trembling. It was barely there, barely noticeable, but I could see it. Luffy was watching on silently from beside us, seeming to realize that this was important. That this was something he couldn't help with, not really. Because to hear these words coming from someone who was strong, who had never had doubts placed upon his ability to get strong based only on his gender, would sound patronizing at best. These were words that would only be seen as sincere coming from someone who'd experienced the same thing.

"I'll help you, if you want," I offered. I planned on whipping them all into shape regardless. But I'd been unsure of how enthusiastic some of them would be about it, Nami and Usopp most of all. "But you have to know: it won't be easy. It's going to hurt. And it won't be something that'll just happen over night, it'll take time. But if you really want to, if you're really serious, you'll get there."

Nami stared back at me for a few moments, eyes wide as she looked for any hint of a lie. Seeing none, she let out a long breath, slumping slightly before offering up a shaky smile, clearly hoping to act like that little emotional scene had never happened. I was happy to oblige her.

"That was pretty impressive, though," Zoro spoke up, standing with his arms crossed and regarding my brother and I with open interest. "That was that haki stuff you were telling me about before, right?"

"Haki?" Nami asked, sounding out the unfamiliar word.

"Oh, you already started explaining it?" Luffy asked me. I nodded at all three of them.

"Mm, though right now probably isn't the best time to get into a further explanation of it," I told them, eyes sliding over towards where the presence of before still sat. While Zoro and Nami both blinked at me in confusion, Luffy grinned.

"That's right! Are you gonna come outta hiding, old man?"

" _I... I am no man!_ " A voice yelled out, seeming to echo from everywhere, which I had to admit was pretty impressive. Nami and Zoro both flinched at the sound, the latter gripping the hilt of his white sword tightly as he did so. " _I am the guardian of this forest! And I command you to leave immediately!_ "

"The what-who now?" I asked, getting back up to my feet. As I did, I caught sight of the oddest thing I'd ever seen which, coming from me, was saying quite a bit. Because there, slithering it's way through the undergrowth not ten feet away, was a snake like creature covered in fur. And possessing bunny ears. I honestly could do nothing but stare.

It only became worse when a fox with the characteristics of a rooster came trotting by, paying us absolutely no attention as it did so.

"What the hell?" Zoro asked, voice faint with disbelief. Which was good, since it meant I clearly wasn't the only one seeing this.

"Wow, this island sure is weird!" Luffy exclaimed, full of excitement at the thought of such a mystery. He began to march forward only to be stopped by the voice of before.

" _I commanded you to leave! Take another step forward and you'll have the Judgement of the Forest placed upon you!_ "

"Yeah, whatever," Luffy waved the words off, not slowing down in the least. In retaliation, a shot rang out through the air, causing Nami to scream and Zoro and I to jump forward. I caught my brother's falling form while Zoro took up stance before us defensively, all the swords out and ready to attack at a moment's notice. The bullet, of course, was sent flying as soon as it lost momentum and Luffy's elasticity sent it hurdling. He scowled, annoyed. "That wasn't nice! What if you'd hit someone else? You should be more careful!"

" _What... What are you?!_ " The voice demanded, starting to sound truly afraid.

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Zoro muttered around the hilt of his sword.

"It's just a guy," I told them all.

"Yeah," Luffy nodded in agreement, pointing in the direction the shot had been fired. "He's over that way."

Zoro made his way forward, the rest of us following his lead. I knew it wasn't necessary but said nothing, letting the swordsman have his moment. If being our makeshift guard made him feel better, who was I to judge? Besides, I was the last person to be able to critique or belittle someone's protective instincts, whether they were irrational or not.

What we came upon, once breaking through the tree line, was what appeared to be a fern in a treasure chest which just so happened to be sitting next to a pistol with a smoking barrel.

"What is that thing?" Nami asked, leaning around the rest of us to get a look at it. "It definitely doesn't look normal."

"Yeah, and the pistol's right next to it," Zoro pointed out, eyes scanning the area. Luffy, meanwhile, had walked right up to it before bringing his fist down on it. The other's gave him a look, probably thinking he was punching a plant, until said plant fell over with a yelp.

"You shouldn't shoot at my nakama!" My brother scolded what was now revealed to be a man.

"You shouldn't have come to my island!" He yelled back as he wiggled about furiously, stuck laying on his back now as he was. "Help me up, damn you!"

I strode forward to get my first look at him and blinked as I was assaulted by memories. They were still pretty blurry, seeing as this probably hadn't been that notable of a plotline, but they were there. Something about this guy wanting treasure and being left behind by his crew? I shook my head, unsure but certain I was about to find out either way.

"Wow, it's a man!" Nami gasped as she followed my lead, Zoro barely a step behind and looking just as flummoxed. Said man only grew more and more annoyed at his gawking audience, stomping his feet about as he continued to yell.

" _Help me up!_ "

.

* * *

.

It didn't take long to hear the now-named Gaimon's story, as I'd known it wouldn't.

As I'd suspected, he'd been left behind here by his crew, something I just couldn't fathom and I could tell that Luffy couldn't either. They'd apparently come here because of some treasure map and had spent weeks searching, not finding a thing. Gaimon, in his greed, had decided to go off searching on his own and had found treasure chests hidden on a ledge that nobody had thought to climb. In his excitement he'd fallen and landed in an empty chest, only to come to and find that his crew had set sail without him. He'd tried to climb back to the treasure but, being stuck as he was, he hadn't been able to. And so instead he'd stayed here for the last twenty years, scaring away anyone who stepped foot here in order to keep the treasure from anyone else's hands.

"You're kind of stupid, aren't you?" I couldn't help but ask, though I was ignored. Luffy had been drawn in completely with the talk of treasure and I could also tell that Nami's heart had gone out to the man as well. Only Zoro seemed to share my opinion, commiserating with me through a look even as our other crewmates followed the man into the forest, leading the way to his so called treasure.

"Here it is," he murmured to us, voice hushed and somehow reverential. "I haven't come back here in a long time."

"How come you've never asked anyone else for help?" Luffy asked as he gazed up towards the top, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Because I never trusted anyone else!" Gaimon yelled. "But now, after all this time... This is the happiest day of my life!"

Okay, so maybe I was being a bit hard on the guy. He'd clearly been extremely devoted to getting this treasure, which I could appreciate to a certain extent. But he'd never had to tell people where it was, he'd only had to ask for help getting out of that chest. And then he could've gone to get it himself, or even just left and found other treasures. I couldn't imagine something like this being worth giving up your entire life for.

But maybe that was just me.

"Alright, go for it!" Nami commanded, clapping my brother on the shoulder. He merely shrugged in response before stretching out his arm, grabbing hold of the top of the rockface and launching himself up.

"Do you see them?" Gaimon demanded as soon as he'd landed. "Are they up there?"

"Yeah, I see them!" Luffy's voice called back after a moment's hesitation and I furrowed my brow at the odd tone of his voice. "They're here."

"Then, throw them down already!" Nami yelled as Luffy came back into sight, one chest held in his arms and hat shadowing his eyes. Instantly I knew that something wasn't right, and I was pretty sure I had a good idea of what it was.

"Nope!" He called back, forced cheer in his voice. "Don't wanna!"

"What's he doing?" Zoro muttered to me. Even after only a few days together, he knew my brother enough to know that he wouldn't do something like this.

"Dammit, what do you think you're doing?" Nami shouted, fists clenched and voice thick with anger and, under that, betrayal.

"It's okay," Gaimon told her softly, causing her to spin on him.

"How can you say that? It's your treasure!"

"Straw Hat..." He looked up, hands clenching at the rim of his chest and smiling, even as tears pooled in his eyes. "You're a good kid, ya know?"

"What?" Nami asked, thrown off guard by such a pronouncement. Even Zoro looked a bit taken aback.

"I had my suspicions for a while now..." He told us, voice trembling with emotion, and even though I thought him a fool I couldn't help but feel for the guy. "I tried hard not to think about it, even though it was a possibility... The treasure chests are empty, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered solemnly, causing Nami to gasp and Zoro to close his eyes. "They're empty."

"The treasure map we found was real... we'd just been too late," Gaimon covered his face, not wanting us to see as he shed his tears.

"To wait twenty years... only to find it wasn't even there," Nami whispered.

"Hey, at least it wasn't thirty years," I pointed out, shrugging when they all turned to look at me. "He could've been dead by then, and he never would've known."

"Shishishi, that's right!" Luffy crowed, grinning down at us. "There's still treasure out there! Why don't you come with us, old man? We're gonna find the greatest treasure of all!"

"You're... inviting me?" Gaimon asked, sounding disbelieving, before he chuckled. "You really are a good kid. But I can't go with you."

"Why not?" My brother demanded, pouting. He really didn't like being told no.

"There's many strange animals on this island," he told us, something we'd already seen with our own eyes. "And a lot of people have come for them as well, since they're so rare. I can't just leave them on their own, after all this time I've really grown to love them. I'll continue being this island's Guardian of the Forest."

"You're rare, too, ya know?" Zoro grumbled and I had to turn away for a moment to hide my snickers.

"That's too bad." I could tell that Luffy understood, though, and didn't begrudge the man his choice.

"I'm sure you'll find many good crewmates along the way," Gaimon told him, voice full of sincerity. "As well as the One Piece! Meanwhile, I'll be able to live here much more comfortably, now that I know the treasure isn't here."

"You got that right, old man!" Luffy agreed, grin spread wide.

.

* * *

.

We left after another hour of rest. Well, Nami rested at least. Zoro worked on training of his own while Luffy and I continued to spar, counting our way through our daily hundred. Luffy had argued at first that, since we hadn't spared in at least three days, we should have four hundred instead, an idea that I'd instantly vetoed.

"Lu, there's no way we'd make it through that many," I told him when he pouted at me. "To get through that many we'd need some meat, at least. Fruit just isn't going to cut it."

He'd reluctantly accepted my point, though his pout never really let up. Final scoring had been forty-three to fifty-seven, in his favor. It really only drove home the fact that I had to seriously pick up the pace on my Armament training, something I planned to do as soon as we had the Merry. After nearly seven years of non-stop daily training, these last few days had been hard to get through, even if we'd been in a fight during each one. Those fights had been relatively simple and hadn't pushed us the same way training had.

Gaimon was there to wave us off, sending us away with barrels full of fruit and a bit of fresh water as thanks for our help. At Luffy's incessant questioning, Nami revealed that the next island should only be about three, maybe four hours away. I wasn't really paying much attention until she told us just where it was we were headed.

"Next up is the Gecko Islands."

.

* * *

.

"It's so nice having someone else to rely on for navigation," I said cheerfully after we had docked, stretching out and arching my back like a cat. "I was only doing it for a few days but, man, it was a lot of work!"

"Well, I'm glad at least one of you was actually prepared," Nami grumbled, looking annoyed. "The sea isn't something to take lightly! Everyone who sets sail should know at least that much!"

"Ah, I tried, but teaching it to this guy was pretty much impossible," I told her, jabbing my finger at my brother as I did so. Luffy, for his part, wasn't even paying attention as he observed our surroundings, grinning all the while.

"There's a village near here, right?" He asked Nami, who was holding the map.

"Yep! There should be a small one near here."

"Hm, why don't we just ask those kids for directions?" I smirked, pointing up the cliff to where four auras were attempting to hide.

"Yeah, that's a great idea, Lili!" Luffy praised before cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling, "Hey! Where's the closest village?"

In response, three of the aura's, clearly those of small children, began running in the opposite direction, their wails of terror carrying to us on the wind. The fourth stood there for a second, looking decidedly lost, before he puffed up his chest and placed his hands upon his hips, his abnormally long nose sticking up into the air.

"I am the Great Captain Usopp!" He introduced. "It's best if you don't try to attack this village, otherwise my eighty million men will never forgive you!"

"Woah, that's a lot!" Luffy enthused, eyes sparkling. Nami, meanwhile, was rolling hers.

"You're lying, right?"

"Wah, I was found out!"

"See? You just admitted it."

"Bad planning! Bad planning indeed!" Usopp's panic set my brother off laughing into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"You're pretty funny," he informed once he was able to catch his breath. Usopp scowled instantly.

"Hey, don't underestimate me! I am a man of high self-esteem and everybody calls me Honorable Usopp!"

"You're lying again," I deadpanned, causing him to slump dejectedly. While I couldn't deny that it was funny, it was also a bit sad that he had such a low opinion of himself that he came up with such outrageous lies. Seeing his expression, I decided to take pity on him. "Look, we're not here to plunder or anything like that. We're just looking for food, companions and maybe a ship."

"Really?" He asked hesitantly. I couldn't blame him, seeing as how one of our ships was currently flying Buggy's flag. But still, I nodded even as I grabbed Luffy by the chin and gestured to his face, which currently held a cheerful grin.

"Yep. Look at this face, you can't lie with a face like this."

"Hm, you're right about that," he muttered, narrowing his eyes and examining said face. Clearly he came to the same conclusion I'd had, which was that my brother was a hopelessly open book. "Well, if it's food you want, I can take you to the restaurant in town."

" _FOOD!_ "

I wish I could say my brother was the only one who skipped ahead impatiently, urging the others on faster, but that would most certainly be a lie. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so hungry and as it was, I felt like I could probably eat an entire jungle's worth full of food. So, it wasn't really any surprise when Lu and I both ordered pretty much everything on the menu once we'd gotten there. Each.

We wasted no time in digging in once it'd arrived, not at all bothering with conversation. Food came first right now, even if my sense of decorum was scolding me for such bad manners. It was easy to block out with the sound of my growling stomach though.

All three of our companions watched on in morbid fascination. Zoro'd already witnessed Luffy eating once, but not me. And while Nami had seen us stuff our faces at Mayor Boodle's house, it hadn't been like this.

It wasn't until about twenty minutes later, when my brother and I finally began to slow down, that Usopp broke the silence. "So... you guys are looking for companions, huh? And a big ship?"

"Yep!" Luffy agreed even as he tore into a hunk of meat. Any other time I'd scold him for talking with his mouth full but to do so now would require me to talk with _my_ mouth full, which would really lessen the impact of my words.

"Well, there's really only one place you'd be able to find a thing like that."

"Oh?" Nami asked, the only one that was paying Usopp her undivided attention. "Where's that?"

"That big mansion up on the hill. The owner has a ship. It's not a very large one but it isn't small, either." He hesitated for a moment, clearly debating if he should continue or not. "When I say owner, though, I really mean the young girl that lives there. She's pretty frail and is always laid in bed with a sickness."

"Eh? Then how come she's the owner?" Our navigator asked over the sound of my brother and Zoro ordering more food and sake, respectively.

"Well, about a year ago her parents passed away, leaving everything to her," he sat back in his chair, letting out a long breath. "Even if you're rich, it doesn't exempt you from feeling sorrow."

Nami looked taken aback by this and then frowned and looked away. Diverting attention away from her to give her a moment, I placed the chicken leg I'd been gnawing on down long enough to speak. "Depression, huh?"

Usopp blinked at me, a bit shocked. "Depression?"

I nodded, "That's likely what she has. It's a mental condition which basically brings about uncontrollable bouts of intense sadness, to put it as simply as I can. But loss can bring it about, too, especially such a big one as losing both parents."

"So, she's sick because she's sad?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side in question.

"Mm. Remember how you felt when you thought Sabo and I had died?" His eyes darkened instantly at the question, his food set down and forgotten for the moment. I saw both Zoro and Nami tense as well at my words. "You didn't eat for the entire time I was gone, right? And you had no energy to do anything. You almost gave up."

He looked down, hat shadowing his face, but nodded nonetheless. Meanwhile our crewmates were looking more and more shocked, which I couldn't blame them for. All they'd really seen of Luffy so far was the happy-go-lucky captain. But there was more to him than that and they'd have to find out eventually.

"Imagine if we'd really been gone," I said, shuddering at just the thought. It wasn't the chance that I could've died, not really. More the thought of what it would've done to my brother if I had. "That's what she's going through. She lost two very precious people and it's taking it's toll."

"Well, you are right about that," Usopp confirmed gravely. "She's very weak and doesn't have much of an appetite. She can't really do much as she is, right now."

There was a moment of silence as we all absorbed this and then Nami let out a long sigh. "Let's forget about finding a ship in the village. We'll go look somewhere else."

Luffy and I both smiled at her. It was times like this that really showed how good her heart was. "Sure," my brother agreed easily. "But I want to stay here a bit longer. We need to get some meat for our supply!"

"Oh, by the way," Usopp perked up, "you said you were looking for companions, too, didn't you?"

"Yeah, why?" Zoro asked, taking a swig of his drink. "Know anybody?"

"Let me be the captain," the boy grinned, pointing towards his chest, "and I'll join you!"

" _Nevermind_ ," we all spoke at once in unanimous agreement, causing him to slouch before he shot back up, annoyed.

"What kind of attitude is that?!" He yelled, and then paused as he caught sight of the clock, jumping up to his feet with such speed that we all flinched reflexively. "Ah, I'm late! Sorry, but I've gotta go! It was nice meeting you!"

And with that he was out the door and gone. We all stared after him for a moment, perturbed, before turning back to our meal.

"What a strange guy," Luffy said, eliciting a hum of agreement from the rest of us.

It was only about ten minutes later that the door burst open once more, this time revealing the three kids that had been at the shore earlier, if their familiar auras were anything to go by. They announced their presence with a shouted, "The Usopp Pirates are here!" before they made their way to us, paying no heed to the fond exasperation being thrown their way by the other patrons.

They came to a stop before us, standing together as one, though I could still see the way they were shaking in fear. The one with the shaggy hair spoke up first. "Hey... The Captain isn't here..."

"It can't be!" The chubby one gasped as all three of their faces darkened in terror. "Don't tell me the Captain was eaten!"

I almost spat out my drink but, thankfully, years of being around Luffy and his tendency to blurt things out had hardened my resistance. Instead, I continued chugging calmly until I'd finished off my cup of juice, fighting the urge to laugh as Luffy let out a satisfied sigh and patted his enlarged stomach.

"Ah, that meat sure was tasty!" He yelled out cheerfully, causing Nami to cover her mouth and look away to hide her own mirth.

"Meat?!" They demanded. "Then you really did...!"

"Your captain," Zoro spoke up, leaning against the palm of his hand and smirking down at them, "we ate him."

The kids absolutely lost it, crying out about witches and pointing at Nami all the while, which she definitely wasn't too pleased about. It was right around the time that they fell to the floor in fright that Zoro, Luffy and I finally lost our battle against our laughter, letting loose great peals of it, to the point that we actually had to hold our stomachs against it.

It wasn't so much the joke we'd just played that had me grinning like a loon, though that was pretty great if I did say so myself. More that I was delighted to see Zoro being so mischievous and laughing so freely. It was almost odd, seeing him like this. The Zoro of my memory was gruff, to say the least, and hadn't really been one for playing tricks. That wasn't to say he wasn't any fun but... not like this. Not this openly. I couldn't help but wonder what it had been that caused such a change, that had turned him so serious, but I decided in this moment that I would do my best to keep it from happening. I would do everything I could to preserve such an open, honest laugh.

It took a bit for everything to calm down again and once it had we'd explained the situation to the trembling children, Nami grumbling all the while.

"Ah, he said he was late?" The boy, who'd introduced himself as Tamanegi, asked. "Then he must have gone to the mansion."

"The mansion?" Nami asked. "Where the sick girl lives?"

"That's right!" Ninjin confirmed.

"Why did he go there?" Luffy asked.

"To tell lies!" Piiman answered cheerfully, causing the rest of us to blink at him.

"Isn't that bad?" Luffy cocked his head to the side, confused.

"No, it's great!"

"Yeah, it's really good!"

I sighed at them, because they really weren't clearing things up. "Care to elaborate?"

"Since the owner is so sickly, she can't really do much," Piiman explained. "So Captain Usopp always goes up there to tell her outrageous lies, to try and lift her spirits!"

"Wow, what a great guy!" Luffy decided. And I had to admit, I agreed. What Usopp was doing was very kind, indeed. Especially since, if I remembered correctly, his own mother had died of sickness, too. Meaning he must know what Kaya was going through, at least to some extent, and so was trying his best to help cheer her up a bit. "So, then, she's feeling better?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ninjin agreed enthusiastically. "She's gotten a lot stronger and it's all thanks to the Captain!"

"Alright!" Luffy hoped to his feet, looking ready to lead the charge. "Let's go ask for a ship, then!"

"Wha - No! You just said you'd give up on it!" Nami yelled, even as she was ignored. My brother didn't even pause, just kept marching onwards until he'd left the building completely, Zoro and the kids following right behind.

"It's best just to go along with him when he's like this," I told her, patting her shoulder sympathetically, before heading outside myself. I smirked at her over my shoulder as I went. "Oh, by the way, don't forget you agreed to pay for our food expenses!"

Just as the door closed behind me, I heard a rage-filled shriek of, " _Dammit_!"

.

* * *

.

Maybe it was because of the houses I'd seen in High Town but, in my own opinion, the mansion wasn't really all that big.

I mean, sure, it was far larger than anything else in town, but I couldn't honestly say that I was impressed. The same couldn't be said for the others, though, bar Luffy who'd seen the same extravagant manors that I had and who, more importantly, didn't really care about such things either way.

"Excuse us!" He called out from before the large, locked gate. "We'd like to ask about a ship!"

There was no answer, unsurprisingly. The grounds were large enough that he probably wouldn't be heard from the house and it wasn't like there was an intercom like there would have been in my old life. After a few moments of silence, my brother shrugged and turned to face us once more and I had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Let's just go in," he commanded, paying no mind to Tamanegi's grumbled ' _What was the use of a greeting then?_ '. Without waiting for our response, he stretched out his arm until it was wrapped around the lot of us and I groaned, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"You should probably brace for impact," I advised my crewmates, who were looking thoroughly freaked out to have an elongated limb wrapped around them. Comprehension had only just begun to dawn on their faces, too late, when Luffy reached up to the top of the gate with his free hand and shot us all forward into the sky, resulting in various screams and shouts from our companions.

The landing wasn't very pleasant for most of them, though my brother had thankfully released them all once we'd achieved flight. Zoro and Nami both landed on the ground, on their back and stomach respectfully, and groaned, Zoro's three blades scattered about them. The three boys had been lucky enough to land in the hedge instead, and so weren't hurt, but it looked like they'd nearly fainted from fear.

Luffy and myself, having done this plenty of times before, landed gracefully on our feet, side by side. Still, I went to help the others up, knowing exactly how much one of my brother's Rockets hurt. Just because I was used to it now didn't mean I hadn't been in their position years ago. The amount of times I'd been flung into a tree face first were too numerous to count.

"Sorry about that," I told them as they attempted to dust themselves off. "Lu can get a bit enthusiastic sometimes."

"He should be the one apologizing, not you!" Nami yelled, enraged, while Zoro only sighed in resignation and went about recollecting his blades, as if wondering just how this became his life, a sentiment I could totally relate to.

The children, already back on their feet and raring to go, took hold of my brother's hand and began dragging him forward, excitedly chattering about their Great Captain all the while. Luffy's face said that he wasn't really listening but went along with them nonetheless and, with no better option, the three of us followed after them. I could sense a few auras scattered about the property, most notably the large menacing one that was currently located in the house, which could only belong to the ' _retired_ ' pirate captain.

There were two situated in the direction we were heading, one of them easily recognizable as Usopp. The other must have been Kaya, for it just felt _sad_ , something I couldn't help but grimace over. I hadn't had to deal with such feelings in this life, not yet. I'd dealt with panic and the fear of losing my loved ones but I'd yet to actually _lose_ them.

But I could still remember, even now, the way that depression could overtake your entire life. How it could make you listless and tired, with no drive to do anything. You couldn't work up the energy to do even the most basic of things and the disappointment in yourself over it just made everything worse. Your body was in a constant flux, either eating too much or not eating at all; sleeping all day or staying awake for days straight. You had no interest in things anymore, and the things that did interest you could no longer hold your attention. You ended up either snapping at the ones who wanted to help you or avoided them altogether. And at your lowest, you started thinking that nothing could be worth feeling like _this_.

Yeah, depression was definitely it's own special brand of hell.

Kaya's was a bit different from what I'd suffered from before, however, though no less damaging. And I decided then and there, as we turned the corner to see her leaning out her window and laughing at whatever tall tale Usopp was telling, that I wanted to help her. I wanted to help this waif of a girl, who looked like nothing but skin and bones, who had dark shadows both in and beneath her eyes, who was trembling with the very act of just holding herself up and yet was still capable of laughing so freely.

"Captain!" The three boys called out, racing forwards to meet him. The liar looked shocked and confused at our presence but rallied quickly, pulling an excuse out of thin air.

"Ah, yes! These travelers had heard tales of my Greatness and have come far to see me!" He boasted, swinging an arm around my brother's shoulder and puffing his chest out proudly. "They are now members of the Usopp Pirates!"

"We are not," Luffy denied instantly. "We actually came to make a request!"

"A request?" Kaya asked, her voice melodic and soft. Even as obviously ill as she was, she truly was a beautiful girl. "From me?"

"Yeah, we wanted to ask for a -"

"What are you doing here?!" The lot of us flinched at the harsh tone, myself included, and I cursed under my breath. I'd gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts of the girl before us that I'd totally forgotten to keep an eye out for her supposed caretaker. "You can't just barge into the mansion like this!"

"Ugh, the butler," Usopp groaned, turning away in order to make a face.

"Klahadore!" Kaya gasped, looking nervous at his sudden appearance, though not for the right reasons. "Listen, these people -"

"You don't have to explain," he interrupted, waving her off, and my eyes narrowed immediately. "I will ask you later. You people, please get out. Or is there something you wish to say?"

"I want a ship!" Luffy told him cheerfully.

"No."

Ignoring my brother's slumping figure and the way Zoro patted his back in awkward sympathy, I stepped forward, trying my best to look as pleasant as possible even though all I wanted to do was snarl at this guy. "I'm sorry," the sweetness in my voice had Luffy backing away reflexively, "I think you're under a bit of a misunderstanding. You see, we weren't asking you. We were asking the Lady of the House."

"Ojou-sama is under my care," the so-called Klahadore bit out, clearly growing agitated as he fixed his glasses with the palm of his hand.

"That's all well and good, but it doesn't change the fact that this is still her property and she is still in charge. If she does not mind our company, then we are free to stay, regardless of your opinion. And if she wishes to gift us with a ship, that is also up to her." I tilted my head in order to catch the blonde's eyes, trying to make my smile a bit more genuine for her. "Though, it is also well within her rights to refuse us, on both accounts."

" _Be that as it may_ ," Klahadore broke in, teeth grinding and vein visibly throbbing in rage, "I will not have my Master cohorting with pirates. Or the son of one."

That last bit had clearly been said with purpose, directed straight at Usopp who flinched at being so suddenly called out. The butler smirked as he regained control of the situation once more.

"Yes, I've heard all about you, Usopp," he revealed snidely. "The townspeople have plenty to say. About how you're a no good liar who disturbs the peace daily for your own amusement. And how you're the son of a filthy pirate, who abandoned both you and your sickly mother."

"That's enough," Usopp commanded, sounding more forceful than I'd yet to hear him. Klahadore, though, continued right on without pause.

"I can understand why you'd turn out this way, that being the case. But I simply cannot allow you to negatively influence my Ojou-sama. You are from completely different worlds, after all. Is it money that you are after? Name your price."

"Klahadore!" Kaya gasped, sounding almost outraged at his words. "Don't say such things! Apologize at once!"

"Why should I apologized to such an uncivilized person?" He sneered. "I'm only telling the truth."

"You'll apologize because your Lady commands it," I told him, no longer bothering to even fake a smile. Talk of being from different worlds, of only being friends because you were looking for money, had definitely hit a nerve, what with everything that had happened with Sabo. Even Luffy was now taking this seriously, glare solidly directed at the man before us both. "Unless you think defying direct commands is acceptable behavior? Even us uncouth pirates have more class than that."

The man bristled instantly. "What I speak is only the truth! I can only feel sorry that you were born with such a father, a worthless treasure hunter who deserted his family! If I were you, I would have been lying about my heritage instead so that I wouldn't have to acknowledge that part of my filthy blood."

I could've stopped it, if I'd really wanted to, as I knew Zoro and Luffy could have as well. Instead, we all stood back as Usopp charged forward, face a mask of rage, and socked the butler right in the jaw, sending the man crashing to the ground.

"Usopp!" Kaya cried, shocked at the sudden bout of violence. I could see her growing more and more pale as the stress of the situation affected her and knew that we'd have to move on soon, if for no other reason that to allow the girl to rest.

"Don't," the long-nosed boy snarled, fists clenched and panting, "say anything more about my father! I may be a liar, but that is one truth I will not hide! I'm proud of my dad! I'm proud that he's a warrior of the sea! And I won't lie about it! _I am the son of a pirate!_ "

"Oh," Luffy murmured suddenly. "That guy..."

"Finally figured it out?" I asked him in a low voice, smirking, which only caused him to pout.

"You already knew? But how?" He whined.

"The name kind of gave it away," I told him dryly before mimicking our mutual friend's voice. "When Usopp was just a toddler he had the aim of a master marksman! When Usopp was a baby his eyesight was incredible! Usopp learned to walk when he was only a year old! Usopp's first word was ' _duck_ ', isn't that adorable?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, grimacing at the memory of days and days full of nothing but the same tales over and over. There were only so many times you could hear about a toddler before you never wanted to see another kid for the rest of your life.

"You say pirates are Brave Warriors of the Sea?" Klahadore asked, a mean smirk twisting at his mouth even as he rubbed at his bruising cheek. "Don't twist the truth. It's because you have such savage blood that you lie so much and are so comfortable with violence. I really do think that the only reason you got close to the Ojou-sama was for her money."

"What?" Usopp demanded.

"I don't care what your motive actually is!" The once calm butler suddenly looked completely enraged, his aura flaring violently, and I could see Luffy's eyes widening as he finally took note of it. "The fact that you're the son of a pirate is reason enough to kick you out!"

Usopp went to take a furious step forward, no doubt to try and punch the man once more, but I was able to stop him by grabbing hold of his arm. I faced the butler myself, face and voice cold. "Once again, that's not your decision to make. In fact, sharing your opinion in such a brash way is decidedly unbecoming of a man of your station, especially in the presence of your Mistress. Whether she chooses to befriend Usopp, or to hear out our request, is entirely up to her." Ignoring his furious glare, I turned instead to the girl in the window who looked to be barely holding herself up by this point. "That being said, I can see that our being here has caused you a lot of stress and so we won't bother you any longer. Though, I do hope that you will speak to us again at a later time to hear out our request. We'll likely be in town for another day or two, at the very least."

Kaya smiled at me, though it was weak and only a shadow of the joy that had been radiating from her only minutes before. "I would like that as well."

"Thank you," I offered her a bow and saw Luffy doing the same beside me, the lessons Makino and I had drilled into his head so many years before taking over. When we turned to head back towards the gate, I caught sight of our crewmate's gaping faces and it took everything in me not to ruin my image by bursting into laughter.

The look on Usopp's face was enough to curb the urge, though, returning my mood to a more somber one, especially when, as soon as we'd stepped off of the property, he took off running without a single word to any of us. A look from Luffy was all it took to inform me of his intentions and I nodded, pleased, as he took off after the boy and left me with Zoro, Nami and the kids.

"Where is he going?" Our navigator demanded, huffy.

"He's going after that guy," Zoro told her, as though it should've been obvious, which only incensed her further.

"They're heading in the direction of the shore. Not the one we docked at, the one on the other side," I told her as we made our way along the road in that general direction, though we had no intention of following them just yet.

"Woah! How'd you know that?" Ninjin asked, awestruck.

"Yeah, how'd you know that was the Captain's spot?" Piiman demanded. I smirked at them both, waving them forward. They approached eagerly, leaning close so that I could whisper if I had to.

"Well, you see," I told them, glancing both ways as though making sure no one was around to listen in before looking back at them. They both had stars in their eyes and were practically bouncing in place at this point. "It's a secret!"

They deflated instantly and I couldn't help but laugh at their pouting faces, especially when they turned away from me in a huff.

"Sorry, kids," I apologized cheerfully, not sounding sorry at all. "Maybe when you're older, you'll figure it out."

"You still have to tell me about it," Zoro grumbled from where he'd sprawled out, leaning against the fence and looking like he was minutes away from napping.

"I will," I promised sincerely. "Once we have a ship and you can actually train in it. Being in that small little boat, there's not really all that much you can do."

He accepted my reasoning, though grudgingly. Instead, he popped an eye open to look towards the two kids who were still sulking. "Hey, didn't there used to be three of you? Where the other one?"

"Oh, you mean Tamanegi?" Piiman asked. "He disappears suddenly a lot."

"Yeah," Ninjin agreed, "and he always comes back making a ton of noise."

As if to prove their point, a loud yelling broke out from down the path where we could just see the boy in question running towards us, looking thoroughly freaked out. "It's bad!" He was shouting as he got closer. "It's really bad! There's a man that's backwards! He's actually walking backwards!"

"You liar," the two other children accused, deadpan.

"I'm not!" The chubby boy defended before pointing back the way he'd come. "Look!"

And, yep, that was definitely a guy walking backwards. Though, on closer inspection, it actually looked more like the guy was moon walking, which... was more than a bit strange. It only became stranger as he got closer and I could see that he looked uncomfortably like a bad Michael Jackson look-a-like, post-vitiligo. Zoro had slowly stood himself up as the guy drew nearer and now stood at my side, his swords within easy reach if he needed them.

"Who said I'm weird?" The new guy demanded, sounding offended. "I'm not weird. I don't look weird at all."

"Well, first of all," I spoke, unable to fully keep the disbelief from my voice because, _really_ , was this guy serious? "nobody actually said that you were weird. Secondly, you are without doubt one of the weirdest guys I've ever laid eyes on." The rest of my group hummed their unanimous agreement.

"Shut up! I'm just a hypnotist, passing by!"

"That doesn't make you less weird," Zoro informed him solemnly but was drowned out by the kids and their excitement.

"Hypnotist, wow!"

"Can you show us a trick?"

"Yeah, show us!"

"Why should I? We just met, I have no reason to." It was quiet for a moment, and then he was suddenly pulling out a chakram and swinging it through the air. "Okay, no watch this!"

"What is up with this guy?" I asked the only other two sane people near me. They both shook their heads, at just as much a loss for words as I was.

"Now," the man instructed, "when I say 'One, Two, Jango' you will fall asleep." All three children nodded at this and they circled around to watch the swinging pendulum closely. "Okay. One... Two... Jango!"

And then, as one, they all fell to the ground snoring. Hypnotist included.

"What the hell?!" Zoro demanded, clearly at the end of his patience with such an odd guy. I patted him on the shoulder, commiserating, and sighed.

"Let's just get the kids further away from the road, yeah?" I suggested and the swordsman moved forward instantly to help, though he grumbled all the while.

We left the weird guy laying in the road because, really, he'd brought it on himself.

.

* * *

.

It wasn't until the sun was making it's decent towards the horizon and Luffy still hadn't returned that I began to get nervous.

I knew that he was okay, of course, seeing as I could still feel his aura strongly. It... almost felt like he was asleep? Which was a possibility. But usually he'd come back to find me before taking a nap, as neither of us slept well alone.

My feelings were proven true when Usopp went tearing past us, face set in grimly and practically radiating fear. I looked back to where my brother still sat, unmoving, and decided that enough was enough.

"Luffy's that way," I told the others, indicating the direction the long-nosed boy had just come from. "And he's taking longer than he should. I think we should go see what's going on." I glanced down at the kids, long since woken up, who were still following us around. "It's going to be dinner time soon, so you three should get back to your families."

They started to protest and whine, but one stern look from me had them running away and shouting goodbyes over their shoulder at us. I sighed at their retreating backs. Seriously, since when had I become everyone's mother?

"Come on," I grumbled to my crewmates, ignoring the knowing smiles they were throwing my way.

The walk to the shore wasn't a long one and we arrived soon enough, only to find the cliff totally empty and no rubber boy in sight.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nami asked uncertainly, eyes scanning our surroundings. I nodded to her without hesitation.

"I can feel him. He's definitely here." I began leading the way down the slope and they followed behind, both of them keeping an eye out as we went. It was after only a few minutes of walking that I caught sight of two familiar legs sticking up into the air and broke into a run. "Luffy!"

I slid on my knees across the sand when I reached him, straightening him out instantly. Nami was at his other side an instant later, looking panicked. "Oh, my god, is he okay?!"

Luffy answered for me, in the form of a loud snore. Regardless, I sighed. "Yeah, he's fine."

"Idiot!" Next thing I knew, our navigator was smashing her foot into his face. "What the hell are you doing, napping in a place like this?!"

"Wha?" My brother's voice came out slurred, though whether that was from still being half-asleep or because his head was being pressed as flat as a pancake, I had no idea.

"Lu, what's going on?" I asked, the seriousness in my tone waking him faster than any attack on his person ever could. He shot up into a sitting position, nearly knocking Nami over in the process. "We saw Usopp gunning it towards town. What happened?"

"Ah!" He exclaimed, punching his hand into an open fist. "That's right! We saw that shitty butler talking to some weird guy and they were making plans to kill the Ojou-sama!"

"Are you sure?" Nami demanded, forgetting her anger at such a pronouncement.

"He's sure," I told her, brows furrowed in thought. "My brother couldn't lie to literally save his life, trust me."

What had the plan been exactly? Usopp's introduction arc had never been one of my favorites and Kuro's character had always annoyed me. Because of that, it had been a long, _long_ time since I'd read it. My memories of it were incredibly hazy and, if I were to be honest, probably not all that reliable. I had known that he was a bad guy, even without the benefit of being able to feel his menacing aura. And I also knew that he used blades and was extremely quick. He'd wanted to kill Kaya to... gain her inheritance? But how would that work? He wasn't related to her in any way.

 _Ah,_ I thought as realization finally dawned, _Jango, the hypnotist. He's supposed to be the new Captain of the Black Cat Pirates, isn't he? In name at least._

"What were you doing sleeping down here, anyway?" Zoro asked, eyebrow cocked in question. My brother tilted his head and puffed out his cheeks, thinking hard.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Last I remembered I was up on the cliffs..."

"He was probably hypnotized by that weird guy we saw," I told them, knowing without a doubt that I was right, especially when Luffy brightened at my words.

"Oh, yeah! He told me to watch this ring thing and so I did!"

"Tch, you actually fell for that?" Zoro demanded.

"We'll have to be careful, all of us." I met each of their eyes and saw them nod in return. I then turned back to Luffy. "Do you remember anything else? Like a time or something?"

"Hm," he struck a thinking pose, one hand on his chin while the other was braced against his crossed ankles. "They talked about tricking the Ojou-sama into writing her will for that butler guy. But that's really all I remember."

I sighed, though I wasn't really surprised. Hopefully Usopp would still find his way back here and we could just ask him for the rest of the details.

As if called forth by that very thought, the sound of someone approaching had all four of us looking up, only to find the boy in question running our way. I didn't miss the way he was clutching at a bleeding arm and I was sure that nobody else did either. When he came to a stop before us, he was wearing a completely hopeless expression, eyes downturned and lip clenched tightly between his teeth.

"They didn't believe me," he admitted to us softly, lip wobbling dangerously. "I tried to warn them, but..."

I sighed. "Come on, before the sun fully goes down. I need to take a look at that arm."

He went along willingly enough as I looked for a big enough piece of driftwood for him to sit on. The moment he was sat, I was bending down to kneel beside him and grasping his arm, pulling his band down in order to get a look. He hissed, tensing, but didn't try to move away. The wound itself wasn't bad, merely a graze, but it had bled quite a lot. Probably because he'd been so hyped up earlier, not to mention all the running he'd been doing, which would have only caused his blood to pump faster. Regardless, I withdrew a roll of bandages from one of my jacket's inside pockets and tied it around his arm tightly as soon as I was done cleaning it.

"Now, tell us exactly what's going on," Nami commanded once she saw that I was done. She jerked her thumb in my brother's direction. "This idiot doesn't remember much."

"That butler... Klahador - no, Kuro... He said his name was Captain Kuro," Usopp stated.

"As in Kuro of a Hundred Plans?" The navigator demanded, sounding shocked. "But he was captured and executed three years ago!"

"He faked it," the long-nosed boy spat out. "And came here, all with the plan of killing Kaya and her family and gaining their wealth when his crew attacks the village. He said it was so he could live a _peaceful life_." He scoffed before turning somber once more. "I lie all the time. I know I do, so it makes sense that they wouldn't believe me, but..."

"The fact that pirates are attacking," Zoro spoke, arms crossed over his chest, "is the truth, though, right?"

"It is," Usopp looked up at us, eyes hard with certainty. "They're going to attack in the morning, definitely... And since everybody thinks it'll just be another peaceful day, then that's what it'll be!" He stood suddenly, fist clenched out before him and face full of determination. "I'll make sure of it! Even though they attacked and yelled at me... Even though I was shot at... I love this village more than anything! And I'm going to protect it! I'll make sure this becomes just another one of my lies!"

There was a moment of silence and then Zoro was smirking, hand gripping the hilt of his treasured sword as he praised, "You're a pretty good guy."

"Yosh!" My brother hopped to his feet and began stretching out his arms like he was going to enter battle at any moment. "I'm definitely butting in on this one!"

"Let's just get one thing straight. The treasure is all mine!" Nami warned. I cleared my throat and raised my hand up.

"Ah, _almost_ all yours!" I corrected, grinning when she turned to glare venomously at me. Yeah, she definitely wasn't over me sticking her with the bill earlier.

"You guys..." Usopp sniffed loudly, tears running down his face as he regarded us in amazement. "You're willing to fight with me? Why?"

"Because you're outnumbered," Luffy answered.

"Because you have ' _I'm Scared_ ' written all over your forehead," Zoro added, grunting when I elbowed him sharply in the ribs in response. Usopp, of course, took offense to his words instantly.

"Don't underestimate me! Me? Scared? So what if they outnumber me? I have the blood of a courageous warrior flowing through my veins!" We all gave a pointed look towards his horribly shaking knees, causing him to punch them in a futile attempt to stop their quaking before rounding on us once more. "What are you all looking at? This is Captain Kuro's crew we're talking about here! Of course I'm afraid! I don't need your sympathy!"

"We're not sympathizing with you," Zoro told him even as I snickered at the boy's total one-eighty. "We're commending you for having courage."

"Why else would we risk our own lives?" Luffy asked, scoffing. "Like I'd throw mine away on just useless sympathy!"

"Besides," I added cheerfully, "if that butler's supposed to be the captain, then he's the strongest, right? Well, my brother and I both have him beaten easily if that's the case!"

"Are you... are you serious?!" Usopp demanded. "Are you lying?"

"No, that guy really did feel pretty weak," Luffy agreed with me, looking thoughtful. "Gramps' aura would've totally dwarfed that guy's."

"Gramps' aura dwarfs everybody's," I reminded him, causing him to grimace. "That's not a fair comparison."

"You're definitely right about that."

"Anyway, the point still stands. We shouldn't have much trouble with this. Still, it'd be best to have a plan," I scanned their faces, raising my eyebrows when nobody said a thing. "Really? None of you?"

"Well, do we know where they're coming from?" Nami asked. "It'll be a bit difficult to figure out otherwise."

"This is the only way into the village," Usopp told us, pointing up the slope in the direction of town. "So, they'll have to come this way."

"Not necessarily," I interjected, knowing in my gut that he was wrong but not knowing how to prove it. "We docked at a different slope, after all."

"Well, yeah," he looked thrown for a moment by my words. "But, they had their secret meeting here. It makes more sense that this is where they'd attack from."

"And if you're wrong?" I challenged, satisfied when I saw him pale at the implications. I shook my head. "No, it's better if we split up and cover both."

"But how will we know?" Nami asked, brows furrowed. "If they attack on one side, how will we let the other group know without drawing the attention of the villagers?"

Luffy and I both shared a glance and smirked, "We've got that covered."

"Oh, that haki stuff!" Zoro realized. "Man, that stuff sure does come in handy, huh?"

"Shishishi, you bet!" Luffy agreed cheerfully, ignoring the envious glint in the swordsman's eyes.

"How will we split up, then?" Usopp asked, getting us back on point. I took them all in, weighing the option.

"I think that Zoro, Luffy and Nami should stay here while Usopp and I go to the other slope," I finally decided.

"What? Why do I have to stay with these two idiots? I should go to the other side so I can protect my treasure!" Nami objected at once. I shook my head at her.

"How else will these two find their way?" I demanded, quieting her protests instantly. "And if you go with Usopp, it'll be just the two of you until the rest of us get there. Are you willing to face an entire pirate crew on your own?"

She swallowed thickly, clearly not a fan of that thought. "No, but..."

I sighed. "Nami, you have my word, I won't let them take your treasure. All right?"

She stared back at me, looking for any hint of insincerity and found none. Grudgingly, she agreed. "Yeah, all right."

"Now that that's decided!" Luffy yelled enthusiastically. "Let's get to work!"

.

* * *

.

"Luffy said that you knew my father, too?"

I jumped at the question, Usopp's voice loud after the unbroken quiet of the last few hours. We'd long since finished setting up his traps, slicking the slope down with oil and placing caltraps about strategically. It wouldn't stop a determined pirate but it'd sure as hell slow them down.

"Yasopp?" I asked him, smiling at his vigorous nod. "Yeah, Lu and I both met him when we were kids. The crew he was in stayed there for quite a while."

"Yeah, Luffy said he was a part of Red-Haired Shanks' crew!" He told me, ecstatic. I could see the hunger in his eyes, the almost desperation in his voice for any scrap of information about his father that he was able to get. It made me a bit sad, knowing that he had to hear all of this secondhand. How must it feel, growing up without your father and meeting two people who'd known him as kids? Was he jealous? Or just happy to have this chance to learn more?

"He is," I assured him. I took a moment to think about what I was going to say and Usopp didn't rush me. "My brother and I were closest to Shanks. We followed that guy around like puppies, honestly, and he doted on us constantly. Even if he did so with a huge dose of teasing as well." I laughed, remembering my brother's pouting face every time the captain picked on him. "The entire crew was so laid back and carefree. They'd come back from their journeys and they'd be happy just to have a drink and sing together, to party and be happy. And they never got annoyed by our presence, not even when I knew we got in their way a lot. They were always happy to see us."

I took a breath, gazing out at the dark horizon and feeling a sudden, unbearable kind of homesickness. It had been so long since those simple days, when Luffy and I could spend the day playing and fishing without a care in the world, Shanks laughing uproariously by our side. I didn't begrudge him his adventure and I didn't regret the fact that we hadn't been able to continue on living like that, because to do so would've meant never meeting our brothers. And that was unacceptable. Still, though, I couldn't help but miss the red-haired man quite terribly.

"Yasopp, though," I continued, looking back to find Usopp hanging off of my every word. "He talked about you constantly, every chance he could get. He was so proud of you, even way back then. It had been one of the hardest decisions of his life to leave you behind for a life of piracy."

"He still left, though," the boy at my side mumbled, eyes turning away as if he were ashamed at the words coming out of his mouth. Still, as he gripped his arms around his knees tightly, there was no stopping himself now. "Mom got sick and just... faded, and he wasn't here. He never came back, not even just to check on us. I'm... I'm proud to be his son! I'm proud that he's such a great pirate! But..."

"But it's still lonely," I spoke the words for him, voice quiet. I quirked my lips up at him sadly when he turned back to face me. "You still wish they were there, to watch you grow up. To help you when you fall or to just be there when you cry." I let out a long breath, wrapping my own arms tightly around myself. "I was lucky. I had Lu and Ace and Sabo, so I was never really alone. But it's not the same as having a parent."

"I didn't need him to stay or... or to take me," Usopp admitted, hushed. "It would've been nice for him to just check in. To send a letter, even. It would've been enough."

I nodded, understanding, before reaching out to shove lightly at his shoulder to regain his attention. "You'll just have to tell him that, won't you? Give him a good tongue-lashing for not keeping it touch." I smirked at him, eyes glinting dangerously. "Trust me, I already have a special kind of beat-down planned for my own idiotic relative, who thought he didn't have to send me letters."

Usopp inched away from me slowly at the sight of the growing menace on my face. After a moment, he swallowed thickly and spoke up, hesitant. "Can you... Can you tell me more stories? About my dad and his crew? About his captain?"

I blinked at him in surprise for a moment before grinning, nodding easily. "Sure!"

The rest of the night passed quickly in that fashion. I talked and talked and _talked_ , but I didn't mind. He hung onto my every word, grateful for every story I shared with him. There weren't many. As much as Shanks and his crew meant to us, they'd only used Foosha as their base for a year and, even then, they were still leaving regularly to scout the waters of East Blue. Still, I had enough and most of the stories I did have were ridiculous enough to have Usopp rolling on the ground, clutching at his stomach as he laughed uproariously.

It was just before dawn that I sensed them, still a few minutes out at sea but drawing ever-closer. Usopp sobered instantly, seeing the way I tensed and began to stare intently towards the water.

"So, they're coming here then?" He asked, voice trembling. I nodded and he let out a long sigh. "I'm glad you pointed out that they could come this way. Otherwise we would've been screwed. I should never have just assumed like that, not when it was this important."

"You're logic was sound, so don't beat yourself up," I told him before grinning. "Besides, the pirates are gonna do that for you in a few minutes!"

"That's not funny!" He yelled at me but I was already on my feet and making my way to the top of the slope. My aura, which I'd been repressing until now, flared out strongly and I knew that Luffy would have no trouble sensing it. And, since he had something to follow, it hopefully meant he wouldn't get lost even if he did take off without Nami to guide him.

It didn't take long for the giant ship to become visible and Usopp started shaking the moment it did, slingshot held in a deathgrip and ammo at the ready. He'd even lowered his goggles so that they covered his eyes, protecting them from the glare of the rising sun. For my part, I cracked my knuckles and stretched. The small fry would be easy. The only difficulty they posed was in numbers. And hadn't Jango used hypnotism to restore their strength before? That could be a problem but I doubted it. Hypnotized or not, the body could only take so much.

They docked and there was a moment of complete and absolute silence and then, with the force of a hundred voices, they lowered their gangplank and roared as they charged forward to meet us.

Usopp lifted his slingshot, lined it up, and let his ammo fly. It hit right in front of the charging pirate's feet, causing them to halt in confusion and gape up at the two of us standing on the hill.

"Turn away!" Usopp commanded and, I had to give it to him, his voice came out relatively strong. "If you don't, I, the Great Captain Usopp, will be forced to make you!"

There was a minute's pause before they all broke out into laughter which, yeah, was to be expected. We probably didn't cut much of an imposing figure, what with my tiny form and Usopp's shaking legs. I wasn't bothered, though, not the way I would've been when I was a kid. Let them underestimate me and think me weak. It just meant that I didn't have to waste any pity on them when they found themselves beaten and bleeding on the ground later.

"You're that kid!" Jango yelled out from where he still stood on his ship, overlooking everything. "The one that overheard our plans! What do you want?"

"Turn back now!" Usopp shouted. "I have a hundred million men waiting for the order to kill you!"

I smacked a hand to my forehead. "You couldn't have said a more believable number?" I demanded. "Like, literally anything less than that? Why not a nice hundred or two? That'd be reasonable!"

"A hundred million?!" Jango demanded, sounding shocked, and I sighed. How did I always end up surrounded by idiots? "So many!"

"Captain, he's lying!"

"That's right! Don't listen to him!"

"Ah, they saw through me!" Usopp gasped.

"Of course they did," I groaned, already done with this entire day. "Look, can we just get to the good part already? I really just wanna punch some people in the face now."

"How dare you lie to me," the current Black Cat Pirate captain growled before he was interrupted.

"Captain! Good news! We found a bunch of treasure in one of them ships over here!"

I cringed at the words, berating myself for not noticing their snooping on our boats earlier.

"Treasure?" Jango asked. "How much?"

"Quite a lot! About four or five million!"

" _Four or five million_?!"

"Five million?" Usopp demanded in an undertone. "Why the hell do you guys have so much money?"

I shrugged. "Nami really likes treasure."

"That treasure is mine!" He turned instantly to announce and I sighed at him, reminding myself to have no sympathy for him later when Nami beat him into unconsciousness. Really, it was his own fault. "But! If you leave now I'll give it to you!"

"He will not," I denied instantly with a roll of my eyes. "Instead, you're gonna put it right back where you found it and leave it there. Or you're gonna find out first hand what it's like to live without fingers." I turned to Usopp and waggled my eyebrows. "Get it? First _hand_?"

"You can't make a pun while threatening dismemberment!"

"Says who?" I demanded, pouting. I could make puns whenever I wanted to, thank you very much!

"How about we do neither?" Jango asked us, cutting through our banter impatiently. "We'll take the treasure, kill you and then ransack the village. Now, when I say 'One, Two, Jango', the both of you will let us pass." He lifted his pendulum up and began to swing it back and forth. "One... Two..."

I sighed, closing my eyes and shoving a hand over Usopp's for good measure. "Sorry, but I've already seen that trick once. It ain't gonna work."

"Either way, you can no longer see us. It would be better for you to step aside."

I smirked at them, completely confident. "If you think so then go ahead and try your luck."

"What are you doing?" Usopp hissed at me, sounding completely terrified. "There's no way we can beat them if we can't even see!"

"Don't worry about it," I comforted, though I kept my answer vague.

"You heard her boys!" The captain yelled out to his men. "Charge! If you have to, take them down on the way!"

They gave another war cry as they continued their forward march. I just stood there, calm as could be, as their shouts of confusion and dismay filled the air once they'd reached the oil pit and again when they discovered the caltraps. Still, as I'd known, it wasn't enough to stop them, though it did slow them down. By the time they got close to reaching the top, though, the others had finally made it.

"Lili!" Luffy's cry way the only warning I got before I had two rubbery arms wrapped tightly around me. "I missed you!"

I snorted at him, though responded honestly nonetheless, "I did, too."

"You two are kind of codependent, aren't you?" Nami's voice came from behind us, sounding both weary and amused. Which was really just typical when it came to my brother.

"Little bit," I admitted without shame. "Though, to be fair, it happens to a lot of twins. And we had some pretty extenuating circumstances."

"Extenu-what now?" Luffy asked as he slowly unraveled his arms from around me.

"Extenuating circumstances," I repeated. "It means... a lot of things happened to us that don't really happen to other people."

"Oh!" Luffy shouted in understanding. "Like the fire!"

"Right, or like how Sabo and I got blown up."

"You know..." Zoro's voice called out from our right, "sometimes I want to know more about you guys and then you say stuff like that."

"Like it's nothing," Nami groaned in agreement. "You just say it so easily."

"Hey!" We all jumped at the sudden shout coming from down the slope. Jango sounded pretty annoyed. "Don't just ignore us and have pleasant conversations!"

"Ah, sorry!" We apologized at once though, really, we didn't sound all that sorry.

"Oh, by the way," Nami's voice got a tad louder as she turned towards me. "Why do you and Usopp have your eyes shut? That guy doesn't have his charm thing out right now."

I shrugged, "He can draw it at any time, though. Speaking of, Lu, close your eyes."

"Aw, why?" He whined instantly.

"Because that guy can hypnotize you and if you fall asleep, you won't get to fight," I warned. "I'll beat that Kuro guy up instead."

"No!" He denied instantly. "I want to fight him! I called dibs!"

"Then close your eyes so that you can!"

"Fine!"

It was about then that the first men made it out of the oil and began running for us full-tilt. They were all armed with blades, I could tell from the way their arms were positioned, and I took a step forward to meet them. "Let me handle them, okay?" I asked. "I need to get some Armament training in."

"Sure thing!" Luffy agreed cheerfully. "Just be careful!"

I smiled at his concern even as I lunged forward, ducking under a swinging blade and punching the man who wielded it hard in the abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground behind me even as I continued to move forward. I twisted and turned, avoiding the swords where I could and concentrating hard to harden my skin where I couldn't. A few slices got in but I was doing way better than I thought I would've, especially since I was relying on solely haki in this instance, eyes still shut tight.

"Oh! Lily, look out!" Nami's shouted warning came a second too late and, next thing I knew, I was sliding across slick ground having obviously just stepped into the oil. Thanks to the amount of training I'd done, I was able to keep my balance and not go crashing to the ground but it was a challenge, especially when I had pirates who'd been trying to make their way up taking wild swings at me on my way down.

Even then, though, I didn't slow down. I'd called dibs on these guys, hadn't I? I would've had to make my way to the bottom eventually. Down here it was more of the same, though these guys weren't quite as tired since they hadn't worn themselves out trying to climb the slope yet. Still, I was confident in my abilities and continued to make my way through them at a steady pace, using nothing but my fists, though sometimes I would redirect a wayward slash or two.

All in all, I could proudly say that it only took me about ten minutes to beat them all, even if I was panting and feeling a bit lightheaded by the end of it.

"No way!" Jango was crying out from somewhere above me. "All of them? By a single girl?!"

"Hey, Lili's strong, you asshole!" Luffy yelled out immediately in response to the insult.

"You're damn right I am!"

"This isn't good," the other captain muttered, paying us no attention at all. "Men! When I say 'One, Two, Jango' all your strength will be restored and you will feel no pain! One... Two..."

"Aaaand, that's enough of that!" I decided, slipping a knife from my belt and flipping it over in my hands until it was correctly weighted. I open my eyes just long enough to aim and then let it fly. It tore through the air before slicing cleanly through the swinging string, sending his chakram to the ground where it rolled harmlessly into the waves.

"You... You...!" He spluttered for a second, seeming unable to even form words.

"Me," I agreed cheerfully, sending a half-assed salute his way before practically skipping my way back up the hill to my crew, using the bodies of the guys I'd taken down as stepping stones to get through the oil puddle.

"Way to go, Lili!" Luffy praised as soon as I got there and I couldn't help but light up. What? I was proud of myself, okay? "That's the most you've been able to use Armament yet!"

"Right?" I agreed, almost giddy. It'd been so long since I'd begun training in this kind of haki and my progress thus far had been minuscule at best. I'd really underestimated just how hard it was to learn when it wasn't your preferred type. Observation was just so _simple_ to me. Though, the same could be said for Luffy. He had mastered Armament to the point where he could harden any section of his body with it with barely a thought now but he still had to concentrate hard to pinpoint an aura that was more than a few feet away from him. Meanwhile I could sense practically everybody on this island, if I tried.

Much like how I was sensing what could only be a seriously pissed Kuro making his way here.

"Sham! Buchi!" There was a note of panic in Jango's voice, as if he'd just realized the same thing. Or, more likely, he knew that they were late and that his former captain was probably on his way to make them pay dearly for it. "Get out here and finish these guys off, quickly!"

"Eeeeh?" A voice rang out from behind him, sounding terrified. "B-But Captain! These guys are too strong!"

"That's right!" Another voice agreed, trembling. "They beat the rest of the crew so easily! We're only the ship's guards, we can't fight them!"

"Just shut up and get to it!" The hypnotist ordered, impatient.

"Tch, I've got these guys," Zoro spoke up from around the hilt of his sword, already in the process of tying his bandanna around his head. He looked less than impressed when they landed in front of him, both looking like they were about to piss themselves in fear.

"Yeah! Get 'em, Zoro!" Luffy cheered.

"Don't underestimate them," I warned him seriously, receiving only a nod in reply. I huffed, about to reach over and smack the back of his head for ignoring me and instead stumbled, a feeling of strong vertigo hitting me suddenly. "Woah."

"Lili?" My brother was at my side in an instant, cheerful disposition gone as he regarded me with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I assured him, shaking the fogginess from my mind. "Just got dizzy for a second."

He stared back at me for a few moments, assessing, before he reluctantly nodded. "Go sit with Nami and Usopp for now. We've got this handled."

There really wasn't much I could say in the face of a direct order like that and so I made my way to the cliff where the two had situated themselves safely. I sighed as I sat beside them, feeling tired and _heavy_ in a way that just didn't make sense.

"Ah, shit! Zoro!" Usopp's sudden yell had my head shooting up from where it had been drooping and, as I took in the scene before me, I narrowed my eyes dangerously.

" _Roronoa Zoro_!" I yelled out, wishing I could be standing so I could place my hands on my hips, making my scolding tone more effective. As it was, each of my crewmates, even Usopp, flinched away from me collectively, which I decided to count as a win. "What did I just get done telling you in that fight against Buggy? Getting cocky is a good way to get dead! Listen when people give you advice, you overgrown fern!"

"What did you just call me?!"

" _You heard me!_ "

"Whatever," he grumbled, focusing back on the two enemies in front of him, one of which now had possession of two of his swords. Which was probably for the best, seeing as how just that small exchange had left me panting for breath. And it was in that moment that I finally admitted to myself that something was definitely wrong. Had one of the blades that nicked me been poisoned or something?

"Lily," Nami spoke beside me, voice uncertain, "are you okay?"

I laughed a bit breathlessly, though there wasn't much funny about this situation. "Ah, I'm gonna go with no."

"Wha - _Oh, my god!_ " The sudden shriek next to my ear had me cringing away even as her arms shot forward to grab me. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm what now?" I asked, trying to twist around to see just what it was she was staring at.

"Don't move!" She barked and I froze instinctively at her tone. "There's a big cut on your back! Your jacket's practically soaked!"

"Oh." I took a moment to think about that and then all the tension that had been building released at once. " _Oh_. Is that all?"

"What do you mean, ' _is that all'_?!"

"Hey, Lu!" I called out, ignoring her for the moment. "I just got a cut on my back! Everything's okay!"

"I told you to be careful!" He yelled back at me scoldingly even as he also seemed to be relieved at the news.

"What the hell, this is serious!" Nami yelled, finally out of patience.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed hesitantly. "It really doesn't look good."

"Well, yeah, I believe you guys," I assured. "But I thought it was gonna be something way worse. The only reason this got so bad is because I didn't know it was there so I wasn't taking it easy. Now I will."

"How could you not know it's there?" The long-nosed boy demanded incredulously. "That has to hurt! Are you even human?!"

"Ah, see, there's an explanation for that." I scratched at my cheek sheepishly even as my eyes drifted over to check on Zoro and his fight. He wasn't doing all that great but he wasn't losing yet either. "When I was younger I was in a boat that was shot down. I got really bad burns on my back and now all the nerve endings there are dead. I can't feel a thing."

"Are you... serious?" Nami choked out, eyes wide. "All those times you talked about getting blown up... you were telling the truth?!"

"I told you I was," I replied, a bit defensively. "You're the one who never believes me."

"It's not my fault! The things you say are more outlandish than Usopp's lies!"

"Hey!"

"My brother literally cannot lie to save his life," I told them again, making sure I made eye contact with them both so that they could see just how serious I was. " _Literally._ I've seen him try and it ended pretty painfully. And I've said it before, the more unbelievable something I say is, the more likely it is to be true."

"Okay," Nami agreed, sounding weary and resigned to a life that never made sense again. "Okay."

I flicked my eyes to Usopp, who simply shrugged at me, before glancing back at Zoro's fight. He was getting pretty scratched up, not used to only using a single sword, but he was looking more annoyed than anything. A feeling I could share, as I was so done with this entire day already. I watched the moves of the one holding the swords and waited, slipping another throwing knife from my belt and flipping it in my hand as I did so. I waited for just the right moment and then let it fly, watching as it sliced through the cat's hand and Zoro's two swords dropped to the ground where the man wasted no time in scooping them up.

"There!" I yelled to him, feeling a bit smug. "Don't say I never do anything for you!"

He smirked back at me, even as his menacing stare was directed solely at his two opponents. "Play time's over now."

"So you have your swords back, so what?" The skinny one taunted.

"Yeah!" The fat one agreed. "We'll scratch you up, either way!"

"We'll see who scratches who." And then he was jumping forward, blades singing through the air as he cried out an " _Onigiri!_ "

The two figures dropped to the ground, bleeding heavily, and didn't get back up. But before we could even celebrate his win, a voice called from the very top of the slope.

"What the hell is this?"

We all turned to see Kuro standing there almost casually but for the burning rage that was currently contorting his face. "It's passed sunrise, Jango, and yet the village still sleeps peacefully and the Ojou-sama still lives. Just _what the hell are you doing_?"

"W-Well, you see," the current Black Cats Captain stuttered, "these kids! T-They got in the way! You said they wouldn't be a problem!"

"That's right," the butler agreed easily, almost pleasantly. "And that's because they shouldn't have been, seeing as they're a group of _children_. But it seems I have vastly overrated you."

"Klahadore!" Again, another unexpected entrance. I blinked, shaking my head hard. I really had lost a lot of blood without noticing and I was beginning to find it a bit hard to concentrate. My pride of earlier was officially burnt out, replaced instead by the embarrassment that I could let myself be injured like this. By _canon fodder_ at that! But still, I did my best to tune back in as Kaya spoke, offering up all of her wealth in exchange for the lives and safety of the villagers. It was incredibly naive of her but I had to admit, the girl definitely had heart. It took a lot of guts to stand up to a man like that, especially for someone so frail and sickly as she was.

"You misunderstand, Ojou-sama," Kuro told her, voice patient even as his face continued to twist into an ugly sneer. "It's not just your money I want. I want a peaceful life as well, something I'll never get while on the run. The people here know me and have come to care for me. This is where I will live my peaceful life. And to do that, you must die."

Tears began to leak from the girl's eyes and my heart really went out to her. To lose her parents and to be barely picking herself back up out of her grief only to find that the person she was closest to, who'd looked after and cared for her all these years, had really just been planning her death from the start?

It was about the time that she dropped the gun that had apparently been in her grasp that I began to find it too difficult to continue sitting up, my head spinning nauseatingly even as darkness began encroaching upon my vision.

"Lily?" Nami asked as I began to slump forward. She caught me easily though her voice rose in panic when she noticed just how limp I'd become. "Lily!"

"Sorry," I muttered, panting. "Looks like I lost a bit more blood than I thought."

"Shit! Why didn't you say something?" She demanded, already working on yanking my jacket off so that she could get to the wound more easily.

"I just did," I pointed out, though my voice was so slurred I wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't understand me.

The last thing I heard was my brother's voice commanding, "Nami, look after Lily! Lily, get some rest!"

And then I was out.

.

* * *

.

When I came to, I was laying on a ridiculously soft mattress, surrounded by way more blankets and pillows than any one person should ever need.

Blinking my eyes open slowly I discovered that the warm weight on my stomach wasn't, in fact, another blanket and was instead the dead weight of my brother, holding onto me as best as he could he could through the covers. Zoro was to my right, sitting propped up against the headboard even though it was just as obvious that he was out like a light.

"Finally awake, huh?" A voice whispered softly from my left and I turned to see Nami smiling at me, situated in a comfortable looking chair with a notebook and a map spread out across her lap.

"Where are we?" I croaked at her, since the answer to her own question seemed fairly obvious.

"Kaya's manor," she informed me, taking a moment to let her eyes wander. "There's a lot of really pretty, priceless things in this house."

"Well, that sucks," I pouted along with her. "Too bad she's our friend and we can't steal from her."

"I only steal from pirates," she corrected, almost absentmindedly, even though I could clearly see the way she was eyeing those trinkets in the bookcase across the room.

"Uh huh," I murmured, tone showing just how believable I found that. "So, what happened once I was out?"

"Well, those three kids showed up," she told me, exasperated. "Usopp was able to convince them to take Kaya into the woods to hide. Jango tried chasing them but Zoro cut him up before he could. Kuro tried attacking Usopp but Luffy hit him first. And then I guess he finally lost his temper because he just disappeared, though apparently it was because he was moving to fast to actually see. He was cutting up everything, his crew included, and Luffy was getting pretty mad. He beat Kuro up pretty quickly after that."

Nami paused for long enough that I looked over to her to see if anything was wrong, only to find her looking back at me, contemplative. "Nami?"

"You guys really aren't like most pirates, are you?" She finally asked. "Most pirates don't care about their crewmates. They don't care about random villages or towns, they don't go out of their way to help people they've only just met. They care about money and power and that's it."

"Not all pirates," I disagreed quietly. "A lot of them, yeah, but not all."

"All the ones I've met," she admitted, gazing off to the side now, obviously trying not to let too much show on her face.

"Luffy said you were hurt by pirates," I spoke slowly, catching the minute way she flinched at my words. "So, I can understand how it could be hard to believe. I almost lost my most important people to a pirate captain, too, once."

"Then why?" She asked, gaze snapping back to me. "Why do you guys want to be pirates, when you know they're bad?"

"Because before we met the bad pirate, we met a good one." I smiled at her clear confusion. "When we were kids, a pirate ship docked at our village. Everyone was pretty freaked out but all they asked for was some good drink and a place to relax. That's when we met Shanks, their captain."

"Shanks?" Nami repeated, looking stunned. "As in the _Yonko_?"

"Yup!" I snickered at her gobsmacked expression. "Though, I'm not too sure he was a Yonko at the time. I doubt he would've been able to travel around the East Blue so freely if he was."

"I should hope so," the navigator muttered.

"Anyway, he used our village as a base of sorts for upwards of a year," I revealed, seeing the way she tensed at the information. "They came and went frequently but... when they were around, they always spent time with us. We were just a couple of kids, loud and rambunctious and probably annoying as hell. But they never chased us off, never got annoyed. Shanks especially, he always made time for us. He took us fishing, taught us pirate songs and told us endless stories. And then..."

"And then?" Nami prompted when I didn't continue right away. I swallowed harshly, the feeling of guilt still there even after all this time.

"And then... these bandits came. And after a lot of stuff happened, they took my brother hostage. He'd already eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi by then, and their leader had talked about selling him. I couldn't do anything, I was completely powerless." I reached down to card my fingers through Luffy's hair, as if to physically reassure myself that he was here with me. He mumbled in his sleep and snuggled closer, bringing a fond smile to my face. "Shanks showed up just in time, with the rest of his crew. They beat the other bandits but the leader used a dirty trick, threw a smoke bomb and took off, Luffy still in his grasp. He went out to sea, like an idiot, not having a single clue just what was out there. He threw my brother overboard and then, before he'd even stopped laughing at his supposed victory, he was swallowed whole by a Sea King."

"Are you serious?" Nami gasped, hand covering her mouth in shock before she blinked, catching on to what I'd just said. "Wait! If Luffy had already eaten the Devil Fruit, then...!"

I nodded at her. "Then he couldn't swim. And the Sea King had circled around, ready to devour him whole as well. But... But Shanks saved him."

"He did?" She asked, awed.

I hesitated for a moment and then asked, voice barely above a whisper, "Have you ever heard about the fact that Red-Haired Shanks only has one arm?"

"Yeah, apparently he returned to the Grand Line after a long time away only to be missing his -" Nami cut herself off, eyes widening disbelievingly. "He... He lost his arm?"

"Mm. That small little Sea King ripped it right off," I confirmed, smiling without humor. "If it was just him, he could've defended himself easily. Hell, even Luffy was able to punch that thing in the face before we set sail. But instead, he placed my brother's life first. And, in doing so, lost his arm."

I let Nami think on that for a few minutes, not at all bothered by the quiet. Instead, I used the time to look both Luffy and Zoro over, cataloging what I could see of their wounds. The swordsman was covered in scrapes and scratches, no doubt from his fight against the Nyaban Brothers. My brother had five gashes on his upper left arm but they didn't look too deep and were, in fact, already sufficiently scabbed over. As for myself, I could feel the tightness of a bandage wrapped around my torso, letting my know that my back wound was taken care of even if I couldn't feel it. I'd have to ask just how bad it was so that I'd know how much I was allowed to push myself without reopening it.

After I was satisfied with my assessments I sighed, content, before glancing back at the orange-haired girl beside me.

"So, yeah," I said softly, "a lot of pirates can be bad. And you have every right to be wary of them. But that doesn't mean they're all bad. Some are good men and women with great hearts. And that's what my brother and I are striving to be. We don't want money or power, not really. We just want adventure." I shrugged at her. "We just want freedom."

"Freedom, huh?" She asked, clasping at her upper arm tightly. She gave me a smile, though from where I sat it looked unbearably sad. "Freedom is a good goal."

"Yeah," I agreed seriously, solemnly. "Yeah, it is."

.

* * *

.

To say Luffy was thrilled to find me awake would be an understatement.

I'd apparently only been sleeping for a few hours but, still, he practically glued himself to my side the minute he blinked his eyes open to find me staring back. He wanted to head to the restaurant immediately, a plan Zoro and I had whole-heartedly agreed with, but Nami put her foot down, insisting that I let my back be checked over before we went anywhere.

The doctor was a very kind, very grandfatherly type of man. He worked efficiently with no lingering touches or glances, which put me at ease pretty much immediately, though Nami stayed in the room with me the entire time just to be sure. It wasn't that I needed protection, per say, because I was fairly certain I could beat this old guy if I had to. No, it was more the comfort of knowing there was someone there to watch your back just in case you couldn't.

Like it or not, Nami was most certainly one of us now. And Arlong would have to pry her from my cold dead hands if he wanted her back, a sentiment I knew my brother shared.

Afterwards, we'd wasted no time in heading for food, wherein Luffy and I proceeded to order everything on the menu, each, once again. Nami gave us both a glare but said nothing, obviously in a good mood because of our recent win. This building, this village and these people were all still here, unharmed and living happy lives because of what we did. And I had to admit, that felt pretty good.

It was just after I'd absently helped my brother dislodge a fish bone he'd been choking on that the front door of the establishment opened and a familiar, melodic voice called out to us.

"There you are!" I turned to come face to face with none other than the Lady of the House herself. "I've been looking for you!"

"Ojou-sama!" Nami greeted, shocked. "Should you be out of bed after all the stress of yesterday?"

"Yes," she smiled at us, her face positively lighting up, "You guys and Usopp fought so hard, for all of us. And after Usopp's endless encouragements, I can't let myself be weak now."

I smiled at her, proud. It wouldn't be that easy, not by a long shot, but she'd definitely taken a gigantic step in the right direction, just by switching around her frame of mind to a more positive outlook.

"Now," she clapped her hands together, beaming, "didn't you guys say something about needing a ship?"

.

* * *

.

The first thought I had when I laid eyes upon the Going Merry was that she was beautiful.

"A Caravel!" Nami gasped, hands clasped together in giddy excitement. Even Zoro was full-on grinning, face full of unabashed joy at the sight of our new ship.

"I've been waiting for you," the man that stood before us, looking disturbingly similar to our new figure head, spoke up. "The style of this ship is slightly older than most, but I designed it myself. It's a Caravel and it uses a Staysail. It's called the _Going Merry_!"

"Are you serious, Ojou-sama?" Luffy asked, bouncing about. "We can really take this?"

"Yes," she laughed, smiling kindly. "I insist."

"Now, let me explain the steering system," Merry continued on, facing my brother who already had his head tilted in confusion before he'd even begun to talk.

"Ah, better not," I spoke up, drawing the man's attention as I pushed Nami towards him. "You'll have much better luck with this one."

"Yes," Nami sighed, resigned, though she couldn't quite manage to stop smiling. "Please explain it to me."

"I had everything you would need for a long journey loaded onto the ship already," Kaya informed us cheerfully.

"Ah, thanks for causing all this trouble!" Luffy told her, causing me to snort out a laugh.

"You mean ' _going to_ ' all this trouble," Zoro corrected before I could and I blinked at him in surprise. No one else had ever really done that before, especially while sounding so patient. I smiled, chest warm with new-found fondness for the swordsman. Before I could comment on it, though, our attention was stolen by a loud screaming which was coming from what looked like... a giant ball rolling down the slope towards us?

"Please stop me!" Said ball pleaded, sounding suspiciously like Usopp.

"We probably should," Zoro suggested, stepping forward. "If we don't he might hit the ship."

"Right!" My brother agreed and, together, they brought the sniper to a stop. With their feet.

In his face.

"Thanks," he garbled at them.

"No problem."

That situation handled, the three of us made our way aboard in order to give him his time to say goodbye. The boys went about exploring the deck, mapping it out and looking for interesting things or, most likely in the swordsman's case, good places to nap. I, on the other hand, went straight for the figure head and draped myself over it, stroking it's forehead lovingly as I spoke.

"Hey, Merry," I greeted softly. "I don't know if you're here yet or if you can hear me. But I just wanted you to know that I'm very happy to meet you. And that I'm going to do everything I can to make it so you can take us far, okay? I want to go on many adventures with you."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Already, this ship was labeled under ' _nakama_ ' in my heart, just be virtue of being ours. The thought of losing her now _hurt._

"I..." I swallowed harshly. "I can't promise that you'll be able to take us the whole way. But. I'm very glad to know you, Merry."

"Lili?" I opened my eyes and glanced back to find Luffy standing behind me, brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

I smiled at him, "Just saying hello to our newest crewmate."

He grinned back, delighted. "That's a great idea!" And then he was wiggling his way on Merry's head beside me, patting at her fondly. "It's nice to meet you, Merry!"

I laughed, throwing my arm around his shoulder and drawing him close. "She's a good ship."

"Mm," he agreed instantly, practically glowing. "She's going to take us all the way to the Grand Line!"

"Hey!" We both turned and looked down to see Usopp waving at us from below, giant pack somehow strapped to his back once more. "Have a safe voyage, you guys! I hope to see you again!"

"Why?" My brother and I asked at the same time, confused.

Usopp spluttered. "Wha - What do you mean, _why_? We're both pirates now, so it's possible that we'll meet on the high seas someday!"

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked, arms crossed. "Hurry up and get on already."

"Wait... what?" The sniper asked, voice faint.

"You're already our companion, aren't you?" Luffy asked, as if it were obvious. Usopp's eyes widened until, finally, a grin broke out over his face and he cheered.

"I... I'm the Captain, right?!"

" _No, I'm the Captain!_ "

I sighed, though I couldn't quite hide my fond smile. "Well, Merry, this sure is gonna be one hell of an adventure."

.

* * *

.

 **FINALLY! This chapter was literal hell.**

 **This update was pretty late, by my recent standards. And just after you all got done praising me for my two day update schedule, too. Sorry! But, well, real life is a thing, no matter how much I may sometimes wish it wasn't. Also, like I said, this chapter gave me a lot of problems. I've just never liked this arc and I'm really glad it's over. On the bright side, I finished my drawings of Lily's Romance Dawn appearance, which I will attempt to link to my bio within the next day or two, so keep an eye out for that!**

 **I hadn't meant for there to be so much Lily and Nami bonding in this chapter but? I'm not really hating it?**

 **I promise that having Lily pass out wasn't my way of getting out of writing the rest of the fight! Really! I swear! I'd had plans for it for awhile now. This doesn't mean that she's weak, either. But she was fighting only using bare fists and haki. And the injury probably wasn't all that bad to begin with but with all the movement she does while fighting it probably ripped open further and further (nice visual to have, right?). So, there's that. But it's a weakness that I felt her crew needed to know of, the fact that she has no feeling in her back and so won't be able to detect a wound. And it's not really something that she'd think to just come out and tell them. So.**

 **Also, in regards to my descriptions of depression: I am basing this off of my own personal experiences. I've dealt with it for much of my life and I've also experienced the way it can twist the grief of losing a loved one into something so much worse. I don't mean to offend anyone with anything I said and I know that each person views and experiences it differently. This is merely my view on it.**

 **xenocanaan: I agree that future crew members will look to her to reign Luffy in. Their in for quite the surprise when she joins her brother in the mischief making instead, aren't they? haha**

 **Juliedoo: Thank you! Writing Lily's interactions with the crew is, so far, my favorite thing about this fic. It's just so much fun, honestly. And I love flushing out their characters, pointing out traits that the manga never took advantage of. It's really a lot of fun!**

 **Appirinia: Thank you! Honestly, typo-wise, I write most chapters in a single sitting, just speed typing away at my laptop. And because of that, I don't really catch typos unless they show up highlighted, even if I go back and read through it when I'm done. So, I'm sorry for those! I try to catch them all but sometimes I just can't. And yes, I can totally understand what you mean about wanting things to pick up speed. I think that's why I've been churning out updates so quickly, honestly, is I just want to get through the East Blue already. I've read it in the manga and in fics so many times that it's pretty boring to me at this point. Still, it's necessary. Also, yeah, I'm leaning pretty heavily on quartermaster, too. We'll get around to actually giving her a title eventually hahaha**

 **WantToBeADog: Thank you!**

 **chickeyd: Oh, gosh, thank you! Not magic, unfortunately, just very obsessed with my own OC at the moment haha As for the way Lily acts like Luffy at times, well, they are twins. And I love throwing little reminders in there every now and again. Plus, even if you're completely different people it's extremely hard to be so close to someone and not pick up on some of their characteristics. As such, Lily's more playful than she might have otherwise been whereas Luffy can be more serious at times. They balance each other and, honestly, their relationship is one of my favorites!**

 **athenaincarnate: Zoro will come to accept the puppy piles. It's inevitable. The twins are going to whittle away at his will until it crumbles. Also, yes, Lily is a Such A Mom. She really is. And I love it. I definitely see Nami and Lily being close, especially if this chapter is anything to go by. I feel like Nami's never really had anyone who understood her all that well, since most of her friends are either guys or have been Devil Fruit users for most of their life. So, they really have a lot to bond over. And I feel like having a girl around also made her relax around Luffy and Zoro quicker, just because Nami of all people would understand the dangers of traveling with two males out in the middle of the ocean, especially when both have already proven to be stronger than her. Yes, to the haki. You'd think Robin would want to know Observation at least, being who she is. And she could apply Armament to her Fruit power so that they're harder to destroy and pack more of a punch. I don't know if what Nami has is Observation or just a very good Navigator's Instinct, but I wouldn't count either out, honestly. Chopper could use Observation to help treat patients, as it would tell him if they were hiding pain and he'd be able to sense life force, in a way. And Usopp, being a sniper, could definitely use both (though I know he's awakened them in the manga now, at least). I know that Zoro is getting pretty impatient to begin learning this handy ability that the twins possess and Nami is at the very least intrigued. We'll find out soon! And yeah, I guess Lily did fight a bit like Brook last chapter, huh? Accept instead of distracting them with music or something, she simply snuck her way through their ranks. I definitely want to add more canon divergence! But it's kind of hard, especially now when they're picking up a crewmate every chapter. Luffy may be Luffy but he's still a big brother, even if it is only by twenty-seven minutes haha so yeah, his special brand of protectiveness will be popping up again. I can definitely see Buggy acting like that out of something as petty as jealousy for Roger favoring Shanks over him. He would totally be the kind of person to do that. (God, I really hate Buggy, I honestly do.) I will be doing my best to "work my magic" with Zoro, I promise. He's one of my favorite characters, for sure. And I know Lily, for one, isn't going to stand losing his smile after being able to see him laugh in such a carefree way as she has. I think having her train on Amazon Lily is a great idea, honestly. Especially with the way Lily's all about the "woman power", though not to the extent the Kuja Pirates have shown to be. I think it'd do her some good, confidence-wise, to be surrounded by strong women in such a way. It'd make her feel a bit more comfortable in her own skin, I think. Plus, having Luffy within sensing distance could only be a good thing.**

 **sava falling08: Yeah, it's a bit difficult to incorporate big changes now, what with them picking up a crewmate every chapter. Hopefully once we reach the Grand Line the changes will be more to your liking.**

 **ApplePieJustCuzILove'Em: Happy birthday to your niece and nephew! And thank you for the review!**

 **gnomishness: Ah, you just got done saying how quickly I update and then I went and took a few days! Haha sorry about that! But, yeah, I'm trying my hardest not to burn out. I had originally planned to have only an update a week (which I might eventually get to) but the ideas and the words just kept coming to me. And so here we are. Plus, I feel like I want to get through East Blue quickly. A lot of fics only make it that far, and so people have read over pretty much every variation of the arcs and a lot of readers are bored with them, as I know I am. So, while I'm doing my best to make them unique in my own way, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm also kind of rushing so that I can move on to more interesting arcs. And yeah, I hope to get more boat scenes going, both of the bonding and the training variety. But, really, thank you so much for the review!**

 **mylongodetosleep: Lily and Luffy's bond is definitely one of my favorites to write. I want them to show that their similar, because not only are they twins but you can't spend such a long time with a person without picking up on each other's characteristics. At the same time, though, they are without a doubt their own people. Lily's memory really isn't chrystal clear. She's going to remember some things, the important things, easily. But other than that? It's bound to be a bit muddled. None of us know One Piece well enough to remember it in it's entirety, especially after spending seventeen years in a new world while gaining new memories. I'm glad that you like how I wrote Garp! He was the character I was most nervous about so far, honestly. I feel like bonding moments are going to be a big focus in this fic, as I really do want them all to have very close relationships. Thank you so so much for the review!**

 **OPF: I'm sorry if the reaction to the Whip wasn't all you were hoping for but, honestly, seeing her land nonchalantly while everyone else faceplants was just too good to pass up. Mother Hen Lily may be one of my favorite things at the moment, from the way she scolds to the way she cares for them all and looks out for them. It wasn't even a characteristic I had planned for her, it just happened. And I do not regret it one bit haha there was a ton of Lily and Nami bonding in this chapter! And I loved it! Writing fluff is one of the best parts of this fic, so you better be prepared for it because I will definitely go crazy with it as often as I can. As for if Lu is curious about the hat's previous owner now, I think he is but I also doubt he'd ask Lily. That would more than likely be the type of story he'd want to hear from Shanks when they meet again.**

 **Mytheos: Resistance is most definitely futile, Zoro! And yes, they are really unfortunately named. It could very well be because of the translation, but... still haha It is true that titles aren't really as big of a deal with the straw hats, which is why I haven't really sweated over the fact that I haven't given her one yet. It'll happen eventually, I'm sure. As for the other crewmates looking to Lily to rein Luffy in only to watch in despair as she joins him instead, yes! Most definitely, _yes_. **

**Catflower Queen: It really is quite funny that you said that, given what happened in this chapter hahaha yes, her negotiating skills were spot on. Nami had no idea what she agreed to. And Lily's sense of humor is horrible, unless you ask her of course, in which case she's _hilarious_ , thank you very much. **

**Please note that, as usual, I have proofread this chapter since it's currently after six in the morning.**

 **Anyways, there it is folks! Goodbye Syrup Village, hello Baratie! Thanks for reading, as always, and please follow, favorite or review to let me know what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

The first night on the Going Merry was... not pleasant.

That wasn't to say we didn't all have a great time, because we did. We partied long after the sun had gone down, celebrating the two new additions to our crew. Kaya hadn't been lying when she said she'd packed everything we might need for a long journey, including a fully stocked kitchen. None of us were chefs by any stretch of the imagination but Nami, Usopp and I were still able to whip up a pretty respectable spread.

After so much excitement and with a full stomach, I could feel exhaustion pulling at me. From what I could see, the same could also be said for the others, who all looked dead on their feet even as they were still trying to dance about. It wasn't long before someone took hold of my wrist and began dragging me after them. I could only stumble along blindly, already half asleep, but unresistant in the knowledge that it was Nami who was leading me.

I ended up flopping onto what could only be a mattress - which was _heavenly_ , dear lord, when was the last time I'd slept on an actual _mattress_? - and only vaguely felt my shoes being tugged off before I was out like a light.

It didn't last long, of course.

It could've only been a scant few hours, three at the most, when I gasped my way into consciousness, barely able to strangle the scream trying to rip itself free from my throat. There were arms around me, warm and familiar and comforting, and a voice was mumbling to me soothingly, but I could barely pay it any mind. Instead, I felt as if I was still trapped in that dreamworld. My hands felt slick with blood instead of the tears that were surely pouring down my cheeks and my throat felt as if it were clogged with smoke instead of the cries I was choking back. All I could see were flames, everywhere, and in the middle sat Ace, down on his knees and arms spread, head bowed down and waiting. Waiting for the presence behind him, a being of heat and death, eyes cold in a way the magma that made up his form could never be, and his fist was coming down, would strike Ace's unprotected back any moment, _oh god_ -

I clapped a hand over my mouth, trying to keep the sobs that tore from me as silent as I could, even as I curled into an ever tighter ball. The arms around me tightened in response, the body they belonged to folding over me as if to shield me from the world. The soft voice that had been murmuring a moment ago was now singing and humming instead, soft and soothing.

I don't know how long it took for me to calm down, to cry myself out and fall limp. The dreams I had of Ace's death were far worse, in a way, than Luffy's or Sabo's could ever be. Because I'd seen Ace die before, regardless of if it had only been a work of fiction at the time. I knew the way he'd be content with death so long as it meant his family lived on. Knew he'd be able to smile, even as his insides cooked and blood spilled from his lips. Knew that, if everything went to shit, it could very well happen again.

Once I'd regained my senses, I was easily able to figure out that it was my brother's arms that were wrapped so tightly around me, though that wasn't all that surprising. He'd more or less trained himself to be attuned to my distress, just as I had for him, to the point where hiding a nightmare was next to impossible. Especially after we'd both accessed our Observation Haki. He might not be the best at using it, most times, but he was always aware of me. He'd probably snapped awake the minute he'd sensed my stress and come running.

Because he would've had to, as we were currently in the women's quarters, from what I could tell. Which certainly explained why that nightmare had been so bad, without Luffy's presence by my side as I slept. When was the last time I'd fallen asleep without one of my brothers by my side? Years, at least, if ever.

"Here." I blinked up at the new voice coming from my bedside to find Nami standing there, looking back at me with a solemn understanding and holding out a steaming mug. "Whenever... Whenever I had nightmares, my sister always made me hot chocolate. I just figured that it might help."

I took me a moment but, slowly, I was able to smile up at her. It wasn't as bright as it would usually be, felt a bit ragged and broken, but it was genuine. Already the tremors in my limbs were slowing, the fear and grief gripping my heart thawing as my chest filled with warmth. Luffy reached out to take it from her for me, knowing as he did that I'd likely be too weak still to hold it steadily. His other hand never paused as it ran through my hair, the song he was singing never slowing. As I listened I recognized the hummed melody of _Song of the Sea -_ a song he'd fallen in love with instantly, the first time I sang it, though he'd never quite been able to remember all the words - and felt my smile grow wider. My heartbeat was slowing, calming to match the one I heard below my ear, and I knew that the worst had passed.

"Sorry for waking you," I said with a raspy voice. I wasn't sure who I was apologizing to, Nami or my brother, but they both scoffed at me regardless.

"I'm more annoyed at this idiot captain than you," Nami told me, arms crossed over her chest. She was obviously trying to look as upset as she claimed but all I could see was the concern in her eyes. "He just barged in here, out of nowhere. Scared the hell out of me. I thought we were being attacked!"

"Shishishi, sorry," Luffy offered her, the grin on his face sheepish. He probably hadn't been thinking of the repercussions of his actions. Hell, he probably hadn't even noticed Nami freaking out, focused on me as he likely was.

"Whatever," the navigator sighed, long-suffering. "How'd you know, anyway? Even I didn't hear anything wrong." Which clearly didn't sit right with her. Nami, more than anybody, probably knew just what it was like to be stuck in a nightmare you couldn't wake up from.

"It's because of our Haki," I explained to her, finally sitting up so that I could take the hot chocolate from my brother's unresisting hand. I clasped the warm ceramic tightly and breathed in the sweet scent, letting it calm the last of my nerves before taking a long drink. It was just the right amount of cocoa and milk and I couldn't help but be impressed. And a little sad. It was obvious she'd had plenty of experience making it.

"Yeah, I heard you guys talking about that before, with Zoro." She narrowed her eyes at us. "Though, you never explained what it was."

"We will," I promised, sincere. Now that we had a ship with room, there wasn't any reason not to. "You'll probably wish we hadn't, though, honestly."

"The training is really hard," Luffy agreed, his fingers catching on a knot in my hair. Without even hesitating, he began to gently untangle it, something I never would've thought him capable of in my last life. Growing up with me, though, he'd learned to either be gentle or get punched in the face. "At least you won't be getting taught by Gramps."

We shuddered in tandem. We might both love the old man to death but he was still a complete lunatic.

"Anyway," I barreled on, avoiding Nami's curious gaze. "We'd already planned to start the explanation in the morning, don't worry."

Her eyes flickered back and forth between the two of us before she shrugged. "If you say so." And then she met my brother's eyes, tilting her head in my direction questioningly. My brother nodded, smiling back at her gently. I could tell that he was beyond happy at her show of concern for her fellow shipmates. Try as hard as she might to deny it, she clearly cared for us. "Well, then, I'm going back to bed."

"Goodnight," we both called to her softly as she climbed back into her bed, wrapping her blanket around herself tightly and turning her back to us.

After a moment of silence, Luffy turned back to me and whispered, "Wanna go outside?"

I was making my way to my feet before he'd even finished the question. One thing that had always helped the both of us after the worst of our nightmares was going outside, seeing the clear sky. When we'd been trapped in Grey Terminal we hadn't been able to see the sky, blocked as it was by smoke. So, the image of shining stars helped to assure us that this was real, we were safe and we weren't trapped there any longer.

He led the way out without a word and I closed the door behind us with a soft click. The moon outside was bright, making it easy to navigate our way across the deck and to Merry's figurehead. He hopped up onto it without pause, already having declared it his special seat, and then held his hand out to me, inviting. As I settled at his side silently and we both turned to look out at the darkened horizon, the muggy air filled only with the sound of lapping waves, I thought again about just how different Luffy was from what he'd once been.

In my old life, I never would have been able to picture him sitting silently like this, at least not until after Marineford. He cared about his crewmates, that much had been obvious, but I didn't think he'd have been able to comfort one after a nightmare like he had for me. He was still the same Luffy, through and through, but now he was... more.

He wasn't just some flat, one-dimensional character. He had infinite sides to himself, he had a complex mind and an even more complex moral-code. He had a fear of fire, though he hid it well, and he had nightmares just as often as I did. Ones that were bad enough to bring tears to his eyes, sometimes, because he'd wake up convinced that Ace, Sabo and I were gone, burned away, and that he was alone. He was able to still smile and laugh despite that, to look forward to the future while never forgetting what had once almost come to pass. It was his reason to become stronger, after all, so that he never had to experience helplessly losing someone like that ever again.

He was able to hum lullabies and brush his fingers through hair softly, was able to hold someone close until their shaking had finally stopped. He was able to sit here by my side and simply watch the world unfold before us, content.

"I'm proud of you, you know," I spoke up and he turned to blink at me, uncomprehending. I smiled, grabbing hold of his head so that I could bring it forward and rest his forehead solidly against mine. "I'm just... really glad that you're my brother, that's all."

He smiled back at me, delighted, and wrapped his arms tightly around me in return. I settled against him with a sigh, satisfied, and closed my eyes, knowing that he'd look after me and wouldn't let me fall.

Yeah, the first night on the Going Merry hadn't been what I would call pleasant. But, well... it hadn't been all that bad, either.

.

* * *

.

The next morning dawned bright and early.

I woke to find myself still within my brother's arms but no longer perched on top of Merry's head. Instead, he'd sprawled against the railing and had plopped me onto his lap, rubber limbs wrapped around my waist multiple times and was snoring away into my ear. Already, I could feel the crick in my back and knew that I'd have to do some intense stretches later, lest it become stiff.

I sighed, settling in to wait. It wouldn't be long, I knew. Ever since we were young kids, Luffy had always woken shortly after me in the mornings. And, fifteen minutes later, like clockwork, he was snorting himself awake, brown eyes blinking dazedly up at the bright blue sky. It only took a moment to register that this likely meant it was a new day, which meant breakfast, and then he was releasing me and hopping to his feet in rapid succession, grin nearly splitting his face as he raced towards the still empty kitchen.

I groaned from where I'd landed in a heap, looking up to glare at the source of the footsteps that were steadily making their way to me. My eyes landed on green and I sighed, unsurprised to find Zoro standing there with his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised. Forcing my way to my feet, I dusted myself off before arching my back, bending until it gave a satisfying _pop_. When I stood straight once more, the swordsman was looking decidedly disturbed.

"What are you, part cat?" He demanded. "I thought you said you'd never eaten a Devil Fruit."

"I... haven't?" I furrowed my own brow back at him, confused.

"There's no way a normal human would be able to bend like that."

"Oh." I blinked at him. And then started laughing, not being able to help it. If the twitching of his eyebrow said anything, he definitely didn't appreciate it. "Sorry, sorry. But, it's actually pretty common. Most people would be able to do this, if they trained their body. And I've been at it since I was a young kid, so that definitely helped. Yoga's a really good thing to practice if you wanna stay limber."

"Yoga?" He repeated, unconvinced.

"Mm," I hummed back, jerking my head towards the galley and making my way there, sure in the knowledge that he'd follow. "It'd probably help you, too, actually. Swordsmen need to have a strong core and a solid stance, yeah, but they also have to be in control of their entire body and their blade. A master knows their body and mind, inside and out. You meditate, right?"

He nodded, looking more thoughtful than skeptical now.

"Which is good, since it will help you train your Haki, too. But Yoga can be an extension of meditation as well. It allows you to learn your body and come to peace with it, I guess you could say." By that time we'd reached the kitchen and I was more than a bit surprised to find Luffy sitting at the table, fork and knife in hand but waiting more or less patiently. I was less surprised when I caught sight of Nami, who looked ready to kill someone as she stood at the stove, and the sullen expression my brother wore as the lump on his head continued to grow.

"I feel like your Haki was already awakened," I told the navigator as I stepped up to her side, turning on the faucet in order to wash my hands before I offered my help. "I can't think of any other reason why your hits have such an affect."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Tell me that again once I actually know what it is you're talking about."

I smiled at her, a bit sheepish, and she stepped aside to let me work on the eggs while she turned her attention to the frying bacon and sausage instead. "We'll explain over breakfast," I promised. "Anyway, where's Usopp?"

"Probably still sleeping," she shrugged. "You two were out on the deck and Zoro was up in the crow's nest when I got up. So, I'm pretty sure no one's woken him up, yet."

I sighed, debating. On one hand, he probably hadn't had an easy time of falling asleep last night, seeing as this was a new place. The rest of us were used to moving from place to place, even Luffy and I, who'd slept in our tree house, at Dadan's, at Makino's or even just out in the middle of the jungle. Usopp, though, had likely spent most of his life sleeping in the same house. I could remember from my old life, though it was more of a feeling than a memory, how sleeping in a bed that wasn't yours was difficult.

On the other hand, though, it wouldn't be right to exclude him from breakfast and, more importantly, the Haki discussion, simply because I wanted to let him rest. Decided, I turned around and called, "Hey, Zoro!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, already making his way to his feet, "I'm on it."

"I'll go, too!" Luffy called, hopping up and full on sprinting out the door, clearly impatient and wanting to do something besides wait. I winced, feeling a bit bad for the violent wake-up call the sniper was about to get, but said nothing against it as I turned back to the food.

The boys trudged back in a few minutes later, Luffy bouncing in the lead, Zoro looking as if he were trying really hard not to laugh and Usopp with a face that was decidedly more bruised than the last time I'd seen it. They sat themselves at the table and then, as one, turned to stare at Nami and I as they waited for us to finish.

"Really," Nami scowled, movements turning jerky in her agitation, "no patience at all."

I laughed, unsympathetic, and began dishing out the eggs I'd been scrambling. In no time at all, we were seated around the table and digging in. It took awhile for conversation to start up, what with everyone either eating or protecting their food from my brother's thievery. As soon as he was done, though, Zoro sat back with a sigh and directed his stare towards me.

"So," he started, in a tone that dared me to put this off any longer, "Haki."

Nami and Usopp directed their gaze towards me as well, clearly just as eager for an explanation. I quickly swallowed the mouthful I'd been working on, absently batting my brother's sneaking hand aside in the process, and tried thinking of how best to explain it.

"Haki is a manifestation of will power," I began, because that was true enough. "There are three types. The first is Observation, which allows you to sense the... essence of living things around you. With it, you can determine where someone is without having to actually see them. It also allows you to predetermine where an attack will come from and, if you're fast enough, will allow you to dodge it."

"That's the one you're always using, right?" Nami asked, her brows furrowed. She looked as if she were having a bit of trouble believing this, as did Usopp, but I couldn't really blame them. To them, they'd only just recently discovered that Devil Fruits were a real thing. Haki was several times more unbelievable than that, in my own opinion.

I nodded at them, "Observation was the type I awakened first, and it's the easiest for me to grasp. I've trained it to the point where, if I concentrate, I can even determine someone's feelings. I can sense their power level with it as well."

"Which is why you sound so certain when you say you can handle an opponent," Zoro cut in with dawning realization.

I nodded, even as Luffy answered around a mouthful of eggs, "Yeah, all those guys were really weak compared to us."

" _Luffy._ "

He swallowed roughly, the food visibly bulging as it went down his throat, which caused the others to cringe. "That cat guy was a little stronger than Zoro. Buffoon was super weak and even Nami could've beaten that shitty Captain guy."

"What do you mean, _even me_?!"

"Anyway," I interrupted before the navigator could leap the table and begin beating the shit out of him, "that's Observation. I'm much better at it than Luffy is but he can still use it if he really tries. And we're able to sense each other really easily, too. I don't know if it's because we're twins or because we're always together, but we're pretty much beacons to each other."

"Oh," Nami blinked, pausing in her attempts to reach our captain so she could strangle him, "is that why he burst into our room last night? He could sense you?"

"Yeah, nightmares are pretty common between the two of us, especially when we're not together." I shrugged, unashamed.

"It's like getting poked a lot," Luffy tried to describe, his face scrunched up in thought. "The fear is cold and the panic is like getting stabbed by a lot of tiny needles. And it's _Lili_ , so I always know when it's bad. Which means I have to make it better. Because we promised."

"Like needles?" Usopp asked, looking faint at just the idea.

"Not really, but kind of." I grimaced when they all turned an unimpressed look on me. "It's more like... when a limb falls asleep, I guess. Have you ever felt the kind of panic that makes your limbs go numb?"

Usopp and Nami nodded instantly while Zoro narrowed his eyes, thought about it, and shrugged. "Not really."

"What the -"

"Are you even human?!"

"You will," I told him, ignoring our other crewmate's disbelief. When his eyes snapped over to meet mine, I smiled as gently as I could. "It's not a threat or anything. But you will. So long as you have something you care about, you will."

"And have you?" He challenged.

"I have," I answered easily, my smile twisting into more of a smirk when he just blinked back at me, surprised. "Lu has, too."

"Yup!" My brother agreed, bringing his legs up to fold beneath him, hands braced against his ankles. "There was a really bad fire and I thought we were all gonna die! And then Sabo and Lili were gone and we thought they were dead, too. And then there was that one time Ace fell asleep and we thought he had choked and died on his food. And then -"

"I think they get it," I told him, laughing. I turned back to our swordsman, who was looking decidedly more serious about my question. "It's not a sign that you're weak or anything stupid like that. In fact, it's proof that you have a reason to get stronger."

"I guess," he mumbled, hand tightening around the white sword at his hip. My eyes darted down, catching the motion, though I said nothing. I knew he probably already felt he had reason enough to get stronger - his promise to his dead friend - but he had yet to tell any of us anything about it. And until he did, it wasn't really my place to say anything about it.

"The next type," I continued, not wanting to dwell on that anymore, "is called Armament. That's the type Lu is best at and I'm... not."

"Shishishi, Lili really needs to train with it more," my brother laughed, though his words were serious.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I grumbled, pouting. "Armament is like... a type of armor, I guess. It's the manifestation of your will into an invisible shield, or barrier, which can repel or protect you from an attack. There's also a form of it called hardening, which turns your skin black when you use it." I obligingly lifted my fist up, furrowing my brow and concentrating until it turned obsidian up to the wrist. Nami and Usopp both ooh-ed and aah-ed accordingly, while Zoro merely hummed in acknowledgment, as if his eyes weren't shinning with interest. "Another use of Armament is that it lets you hurt Devil Fruit Users. Whether they're Logia or if they're a difficult Paramecia type, like Luffy."

Using the fist I'd already made, I reached out and flicked my brother solidly in the forehead. His head flung back as he cried out, bringing his hands up to rub at the ginormous red mark I'd left behind. "You jerk! That hurt!"

I shrugged innocently. "I had to show them how it worked."

"Yeah, right!" He yelled back, not believing me for a second.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Usopp called out, waving his hands about in order to draw our attention back. "Logia? Paramecia? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Me neither," Nami grumbled, clearly not happy about being in the dark.

"Ah, yeah, I suppose you wouldn't," I said, nodding, which only caused Nami to glare more. "It's not an insult. You guys hadn't even known Devil Fruits were real until you met Luffy, right? You all thought they were just a myth or something. So, it makes sense that you wouldn't know specifics."

"Logias are super cool!" Luffy declared, grinning wide. "You can become an element or something! And then nobody can touch you and they're really rare and really strong!"

"Mm," I agreed. "Logias tend to be an element, or a force of nature. The main trait of them is that they can make the user intangible, which allows them to phase through most attacks. It makes them pretty much untouchable, though they do have their weaknesses, like all Devil Fruits."

"Woah," Usopp breathed out, stars in his eyes at the very thought. Even Luffy looked awestruck, though he'd heard about Logia types multiple times before.

Rolling my eyes at them both, I continued. "Paramecia types affect the body, the environment, or create substances. Take the Gomu Gomu no Mi, for instance." I reached out and grabbed hold of my brother's cheek, stretching it out to impossible lengths. "Eating this fruit turned Luffy's body into rubber. Completely, down to the genetic make-up. Buggy's fruit was a Paramecia as well, allowing him to detach parts of his body and making him impervious to cutting or slicing."

I let go, letting his cheek snap back into place while he laughed at the weird sensation of it.

"So, if I'd had this Haki," Zoro spoke, arms crossing over his chest once more, "then I would've been able to slice that guy up for real?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Armament can be extended to weapons as well, meaning that once you get good enough you can coat your blades with it." I glanced over, catching Usopp's eye. "And you can coat your ammo in it, too."

" _Me_?" He squeaked out, looking panicked. I nodded at him, expression serious.

"Out of every crew member we may get, it's especially important that you learn both," I told him, causing him to gulp nervously.

"What if... what if I can't?" He asked, voice shaking.

"Of course you can!" Luffy yelled before I could say anything. "You're on the crew of the future Pirate King, you know! I only take the best!"

"You may not be strong right now," I told him, smiling encouragingly, "but that doesn't mean you can't be. You might not see your own potential, but Lu and I definitely do. You have what it takes to become great, I promise."

"Well... Well, of course I do!" The sniper shouted out, puffing up with fake bravado. "I'm the Great Captain Usopp, after all! But... why do I have to learn both, again?"

"Because you're the sniper," Luffy answered in a voice that said it was obvious. I rolled my eyes and shoved him lightly when that did nothing more than confuse the long-nosed boy more.

"As a sniper, you'll need observation so that you can sense your target and hit them dead-on, even if you can't see them with your eyes," I explained. "And what if you come up against a Logia? Or someone like my brother? Your ammo wouldn't do much against either, right now. But if you coated it with Armament, you'd be able to hit them with no problem and it would do just as much damage as it would for a regular person."

"That's what I said," Luffy muttered, mulish. He was subsequently ignored.

"For Nami, it's important that she learns Observation," I continued, causing the girl to perk up in interest. "From what I've seen, she's got a true navigator's instinct, something that can't be faked or learned. Which is something that's necessary on the Grand Line. But like all things, it can always get better. Train your Observation enough and it'll become invaluable to you."

Nami, looking pleased with the praise I'd heaped upon her, agreed with me easily.

"Three," Zoro butted in. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he clarified, "You said there were three types. What's the last?"

"Ah, the last is known as Conqueror's Haki," I told them. "I'm fairly sure none of you possesses it, though I suppose there's a chance. Conqueror's is the one type that can't be taught. You either have it or you don't. It can also be referred to as the King's Disposition. It manifests within those who have the qualities to become kings, I guess you could say. People who are strong of will and of heart, who can become great."

"Our big brother Ace has it," Luffy revealed. "It's so cool! He just has to glare at you and you'll pass out!"

"Yeah, it's basically focusing your willpower into an actual attack. You're pitting your own against others and, if yours comes out on top, that person will lose consciousness. It can also be used to tame wild animals or to intimidate people. It's a really useful thing to have."

"Yeah," my brother grumbled, suddenly pouting. "Stupid Ace, always getting the cool stuff."

Laughing at him, though sympathetic with his feelings of envy, I spread my arms out and grinned at our crewmates. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Haki."

They all stared back for a moment, dumbstruck. It was Zoro who spoke first. "And how do we train? How do we get it?"

"That, my friend, is the million beli question, isn't it?" I smirked at his annoyed look. "The training for it isn't easy. In fact, it may just be the most frustrating thing you'll ever go through. Lu and I have been training for over two years now and we still haven't fully mastered it. And it's not because we haven't been trying, trust me."

"Is it really that hard to learn?" Nami asked quietly, lips pursed skeptically.

"Yeah, you two are monsters," Usopp spoke up, looking downtrodden. "If even you haven't learned yet, what hope is there for us?"

"Well, each person has one that they're more... in tune with, I guess you could say. Mine was Observation, which I was able to learn fairly quickly, while Lu's was Armament. I wouldn't call us masters, at least not yet, but we're pretty good with our given type. The other, though..."

"I suck at Observation," Luffy said bluntly, though he looked fairly pained admitting it. "I have to focus really _really_ hard sometimes just to sense anything at all."

"While I suck at Armament," I interjected. "Hence why that last fight ended... not the way I wanted it to. I was trying to train with it."

"Okay, but _how_?" Zoro asked, impatient. "How do you train it?"

"Well, when we were learning, Gramps had us sit, blindfolded, and he'd swing a stick at us over and over again," I told them cheerfully, enjoying the way Nami and Usopp paled.

"Yeah, that or he just had us fight each other blindfolded. Or we had to hunt blindfolded." Luffy paused, thinking it over, and then said, "Actually, he had us do pretty much everything blindfolded."

"It's two-fold training," I told them, because I could see how very much they did not want to experience this. "You don't want to get hit, so you're trying to foresee where the strike is coming from. Eventually that desire to not get hurt, that willpower to avoid it, will open a pathway in your head, allowing you to dodge. On the other hand, though, you don't want to get hit so you're willing your body to get stronger, tougher, so that you can withstand the blow. This can awaken Armament, as well. It's a bit barbaric, but hey, it works."

"Do we have a choice?" Nami asked, slumping. Usopp, next to her, looked just as dejected.

Luffy and I grinned at them both. "Nope!"

"I don't know why you both are complaining." Zoro smirked, looking decidedly bloodthirsty. "This sounds great."

" _That's because you're a monster, too!_ "

"Well," I sighed, smiling as they began to bicker, "at least one of them is excited."

"Shishishi, this is gonna be fun!"

.

* * *

.

If you were to ask Nami or Usopp, they would tell you that it was not, in fact, fun.

Actually, if you were to ask them, they'd probably glare viciously and then threaten you with violence. Neither of them were very big fans of Haki training. Seeing as how they were being taught by Luffy and I, though, and not a raging lunatic of a Vice-Admiral, I had no sympathy for them at all.

Zoro, true to form, took to this new training like a fish to water. I could tell that it disgruntled him a bit, having to sit still and let himself be whacked over and over again until he was covered in bruises. But he said nothing and, when asked by an annoyed Usopp why he wasn't complaining, simply stated that even if this didn't work as intended it would still help him to become stronger. The two weakest members of our crew had stopped looking to him for commiseration at that point, writing him off as insane and a lost cause.

The first few days yielded no results, something my brother and I had expected and warned them of. Haki wasn't something that just... happened. It either had to be vigorously trained out of you or, most commonly, it took a great deal of stress to awaken it. Most were never put under that amount of pressure which was why it was a skill that many lived their whole lives never learning about. It was also another reason I felt that Nami had already awakened some form of it, given just how traumatic her childhood had been up until now. It honestly wouldn't surprise me.

After a week of solid training, though, both navigator and sniper put their foot down and demanded a day off. Being the benevolent souls we were, my brother and I had graciously agreed. While the two of them had stomped off so that we wouldn't be tempted to drag them back, Zoro had simply shrugged, tied his bandanna tightly around his eyes, and commanded me to get to it.

Clearly, rest was for the weak.

"You know," I spoke up, causing his head to tilt in my direction, "I really want to spar with you one day. Not like this, but all out. Other than my grandfather, I've never sparred against someone else with blades before. Fought, yeah, but that was only thugs in the trash heap and cannon fodder from other crews."

"Trash heap?" Zoro asked, then shook his head. "No, never mind. I wouldn't mind sparring with you. Fighting against someone else will help keep my skills sharp."

I snorted unattractively, "Sharp, eh?"

Even without being able to see his face, I knew he was looking decidedly unimpressed in my general direction. Which only caused me to laugh harder, honestly. Before he could comment or, most likely, call me an idiot, Luffy came marching onto the deck, a giant piece of fabric held up victoriously.

"Alright!" He called in order to gain everyone's attention. "Our pirate flag is done!"

I wasn't at all surprised to glance down only to find a mass of incomprehensible squiggles. It looked like someone had taken a Jolly Roger and just... melted it.

"I put a lot of thought into making our symbol!" He told us as we all gathered in front of him, gazing upon his masterpiece in varying degrees of disbelief. His absolute pride over it just made me feel all the worse over completely vetoing it.

"Remember when we made the ASL flag?" I asked, crossing my arms and raising a brow at him. "And we all told you that you weren't allowed to help? There was a reason for that."

"Seriously," Usopp agreed, gaping. "I don't even know if this could be considered artistically challenged, it's so bad."

"It could be... abstract?" Nami offered faintly.

"It is terrifying," Zoro shrugged, having lifted his makeshift blindfold up in order to get a look.

"Don't encourage him," I scolded them before turning back to my grinning brother. " _That_ is not going to be our symbol. Let someone else try."

"Aw," he pouted at me but didn't argue, handing his tools over to a grinning Usopp instead.

"Don't you worry!" The sniper assured, puffing out his chest. "I'll make our symbol into the greatest work of art you've ever seen!"

"And if it happens to represent anyone other than our actual captain," I told him, smiling sweetly, "I'll make it so it'll be the last work of art _you'll_ ever see."

He gulped, appropriately terrified, and got to work. A mere ten minutes later he was holding up a flag that I recognized much better, a grinning skull adorned with a straw hat before a set of crossbones. He smiled at us, rightfully full of pride. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect!" Nami cheered, clapping her hands in excitement.

"It looks nothing like the other one," Zoro pointed out, clearly meaning it as the compliment it was.

I simply grinned, being hit again with the fact that I was here, watching history be made. I'd just seen the Straw Hat's symbol be created and, really, there were only four other people in this world who could claim the same. It might not seem like much now, since we were just starting off without even a single bounty to our name, but I knew that one day this moment would be looked back on as momentous.

"It's great!" Luffy enthused, throwing his arm over my shoulder and smiling impossibly wide. "Now draw it on our sails, too!"

"Not a problem!" Usopp pointed his paintbrush towards his own chest. "I've been honing my artistic talents for years, drawing on the walls of people's homes! I'm quite the master artist!"

"Isn't that just called vandalism?" I asked, deadpan, causing him to splutter at me. "But it does look good, I'll give you that."

He harrumphed at me, spinning on his heel and marching towards the mast, paint and brush in hand, leaving the rest of us laughing after him. We followed after, of course, not quite cruel enough to make him do it on his own. Luffy was given an express order, by me, to sit there and to not move. When he pouted, put out, I told him that we needed a lookout in case we did something wrong and that it was a very important job. After that, he was more than happy to sit on the deck and shout instructions up to us.

It took over an hour to get it done and, afterwards, we all collapsed to the deck, exhausted. It was a pretty hot day outside, barely a cloud in sight, and the sun had been beating down on us unrelentingly the entire time.

"Finally," I groaned, throwing my arm over my eyes.

"I'm so tired," Usopp mumbled, sounding almost dazed. Before anyone else could add their own complaint, there was a deafening _boom!_ from the other side of the deck, the force of it enough to shake the entire ship, and we were all bolting to our feet in response. Only to find my brother grinning next to a smoking cannon.

"Luffy," I sighed, slumping tiredly, "what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm testing out our new cannon," he responded cheerfully, completely unrepentant, before frowning. "I don't think it's working right, though."

"Step aside, my amateur friend!" Usopp called as he swaggered towards him. "I'll show you how it's done!"

"Wow, really?" Luffy asked excitedly. "Try aiming for that rock!"

I followed where his finger was pointing to find a rock outcropping only a few yards away. My eyes narrowed in thought, my brain telling me there was something important about that rock that I was forgetting about. But what...?

"Hm, judging by the distance, and taking consideration for wind gust and direction..." the sniper continued to maneuver the cannon until he stepped back, satisfied. "There, that should do it!"

It wasn't until he'd already lit the fuse that my Haki picked up on the two life forms on that rock, both clearly human, and the memories of just who it was came to the forefront of my mind. I was dashing forward in a instant and, knowing it was already too late to stop it, rammed into the chase. The force of my shove was enough to move it, switching the aim meters to the right instead, just in time for it to fire. The cannon ball hit the water harmlessly and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What the hell?" Usopp demanded, looking both shocked and annoyed.

"Yeah, what'd you do that for?" Luffy asked, lip pouted out and scowling.

"You both are morons!" I yelled back, surprising everyone on deck with just how angry I sounded. I spun towards my brother, who flinched away from me instantly. "And you! You have Observation, so there isn't any excuse! Don't you sense the people on that rock you were just aiming at?!"

"People?" The both of them asked, confused, before their eyes widened and they paled drastically. " _There are people over there?!_ "

"Yes," I sighed, rubbing at my forehead. And then I glanced up, turning towards our navigator. "Speaking of, it feels like one of them is pretty weak. We should probably make a pit stop there, just to see if we can help." I turned back towards my brother, lifting an eyebrow at him. "That okay with you, Captain?"

"Mm!" He agreed instantly, nodding vigorously. "Let's head that way!"

Nami consented, though not without looking a bit hesitant, and soon enough we were pulling up alongside the outcropping. It was easy to see the two figures now, one laying prone on the ground and the other standing guard above him, hand on his sword and looking ready to kill. From my memories alone I knew that neither man was that powerful but, I had to admit, they were extremely brave. The look on Luffy's face said he thought so, too, and whole-heartedly approved.

"Hey!" He called down, waving cheerfully. "We're sorry we almost shot at you! We thought this rock was empty! Do you need any help?"

"I don't need help from a no-good -" The man cut himself off, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses and his jaw dropping, elongating the tattoo on his cheek. "Zoro-aniki?!"

As one, we all turned to our resident swordsman, who looked just as shocked as the man below us. "Wait, _Johnny_? And - What the hell happened to Yosaku?"

That seemed to be the magic question, bringing the man down to his knees as he began to sob. "H-He's sick! And I don't know what to do!"

"Sick, huh?" I mumbled, running an assessing eye over the man. He'd been healthy later on, healthy enough to get beaten by the fishmen on Nami's island and still stand guard against the citizens. So, it couldn't be anything truly life threatening, right? "Luffy?"

"Yeah," he nodded to me before calling back down. "We have some supplies and stuff up here that might be able to help! Bring him aboard!"

The man, Johnny, wasted no time after hearing that. Apparently having Zoro as one of us granted instant trust to the rest. Which probably wasn't a great thing, honestly, or safe for them at all but, hey, I wasn't going to complain. The boys all jumped down to help him carry his partner's dead weight while Nami and I stepped back, ready to examine him as well as we could.

I narrowed my eyes as he was finally set down onto the deck and I got my first good look at him. His face was covered in blood, which seemed to be flowing from a head wound hidden by the helmet thing he had on his head, as well as his nose and mouth. He also had a heavily bleeding wound on his abdomen, which had been tightly wrapped in bandages - _over his shirt_ , what the hell? He was breathing heavily, clearly out of it, and his skin was covered in little red and blue dots. At least, where it wasn't already covered in bruises.

"He was fine just a couple days ago," Johnny began to explain, head bowed and voice shaking with emotion as he sat faithfully at his partner's side. "Then all of a sudden he just turned pale and started passing out. His old wounds have begun to open and his teeth have been falling out. I really don't know what to do anymore!"

I looked over, sharing an eye roll with Nami, before sighing and turning back to the man before me, placing my hands on my hips as I went. "Did he complain about leg and joint pain?"

Johnny's head shot up, looking up at me with wide eyes. "He did!" He scrambled to his knees, almost running his sick friend over in his haste. "Aneki, do you know what's wrong with him?!"

My eye twitched at the title, but I said nothing against it. "Yeah, from everything you've said, I'm pretty sure he's got scurvy."

"Scurvy?" Everyone echoed, sounding confused.

"Really, are all of you _that_ stupid?" Nami demanded, annoyed. "You're sailing the seas! You should know what sicknesses to look out for!"

"That's what Lili's for," my brother promptly answered and I let out a sigh I could feel all the way down to my bones.

"But what if she didn't know about it?" Nami challenged, wanting to get her point across. "What if she didn't know about scurvy and was the one laying here like this instead?"

Luffy looked faintly pale at just the idea, as did Usopp and Zoro, which the navigator seemed to take as a win if the triumphant smile on her face was anything.

"Usopp, can you go get some limes out of the kitchen? Squeeze the juice out of them and bring them here, please." The sniper nodded instantly to my request, obviously still feeling bad for having almost shot at an unsuspecting sick man, and hurried into the kitchen to carry it out. I turned back to my audience and began to explain as well as I could. "Scurvy is a sickness that's affected sailors for a long time, though not so much now that carrying perishables on a long journey has been made possible."

"Perishables?" Luffy asked before I could go on.

"Food that goes bad." At his understanding nod I continued. "The body needs something called Vitamin C in order to stay healthy. It provides something called collagen, which is a protein found in different types of body tissues, including skin and bones. If you're not providing a new supply of collagen by eating or drinking Vitamin C, those tissues will begin to break down and deteriorate. Which is why he's suffering from joint pain, gum bleeding and the reopening of his wounds."

If anything, they all looked more freaked out then they had before. "T-Then," Johnny stuttered, looking pale, "what do we do? Is there anyway to help him?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged easily. "Why do you think I have Usopp squeezing out lime juice?"

"Scurvy can be treated pretty quickly just by eating or drinking something with Vitamin C," Nami explained when I didn't.

"Though, that _doesn't_ mean it's instant," I warned when Johnny's face lit up. "It might seem like it, but it'll take at least a week or two for him to fully heal, okay?"

"Of course!" He agreed instantly, though he obviously wasn't even listening as he turned back to his unresponsive partner. "You hear that, Yosaku? We'll be traveling the seas and collecting bounties together again in no time!"

"I've got the lime juice!" Usopp yelled as he hurried out onto the deck and over to us, cutting off the decidedly unkind things I was about to start saying. Which was probably for the best. "Now what?"

"Pour it into his mouth," I told him, my eye twitching in agitation when Luffy lifted the man's head and Usopp began practically dumping it in. " _Slowly_! Are you trying to drown him?"

They both grimaced at my tone but did as I commanded, slowing the flow down to a trickle instead. Satisfied, I turned back to the man's partner, who was watching the proceedings closely.

"After this, you should try harder to eat a more balanced diet," I informed him seriously. "If it's happened once, it can happen again. As long as you include fruits and vegetables you should be fine but peppers, dark leafy vegetables, kiwis and strawberries have a lot of Vitamin C in them, if you wanted specific examples."

"We have kiwis and strawberries," Zoro pointed out, eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you get them instead then?"

"Because I like them," I admitted, unashamed. "And I'm not that big of a fan of limes."

" _You_ -" He cut himself off, covering his face with one hand as his shoulders began trembling. Curious, I leaned around to get a better look, Johnny and Nami both doing the same. Instead of anger or annoyance, as I'd half expected, he instead seemed to be trying to strangle down _laughter_. The other two seemed fairly shocked by this, the bounty hunter especially, while I just felt pleased. Finally, getting himself back under control, he looked up at me with a smirk that seemed to be trying to fight it's way into a full-blown grin. "You're horrible, you know that?"

"Yup!" I agreed cheerfully, mood skyrocketing at this simple achievement.

"Hey, look!" We all turned at my brother's excited voice only to find Yosaku standing, though shakily.

"Yosaku!" Johnny flew forward, grabbing his partner in a tight hug and then, as one, they began to dance around. "You're all better!"

"It's a miracle!" The sick man cried out. "I'm all better!"

" _You are not!_ " Nami and I both yelled, annoyed. The two suddenly stopped, striking what were probably meant to be dramatic poses as they turned towards us once more.

"Sorry for the late introductions. The name's Johnny!"

"And I'm Yosaku! Zoro-aniki used to bounty hunt with us in the past," the man said as he brought a - was that a _cigarette_? are you _kidding me_? - up to his mouth. "Nice to meet all of you!"

"If you don't put that cigarette out _right now_ ," I threatened, smiling even as my voice got deeper with the promise of violence, "I will break every one of your fingers."

It vanished, as if by magic, as both men huddled together in fright. Even my own crewmates looked disturbed by my tone, though Luffy was the only one who remained generally unphased. He'd heard me make threats like that countless times before and as long as they weren't directed at him it was fine.

"Honestly," I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "You were practically just on death's door, weren't you? You shouldn't smoke immediately after that. And you shouldn't be dancing around, either! Sit back down before you relapse!"

The both sat quickly, looking very much like scolded children, before Yosaku peeked up at us. "You saved my life," he said seriously before he bowed his head to us. "I don't know how to thank you."

Johnny followed suit, bowing even lower, and I found myself softening to these two idiots. I waved away their gratitude. "It wasn't a big deal," I told them, though I couldn't quite help but smile. "Just don't let it happen again."

"Seriously," I heard Zoro, Usopp and Nami all agree from behind me.

"Anyway," Johnny's head popped back up, gaze landing on our swordsman and teasing grin stretching across his face. "It's definitely a shock to see the famous Pirate Hunter Zoro become a pirate himself!"

The green-haired man shrugged, looking unconcerned. "They drove a pretty hard bargain."

My brother and I both laughed at that. "More like we blackmailed you."

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed. "My plan was foolmade!"

"You mean foolproof," I corrected before cocking my head to the side. " _Although_..."

"Nah, if I hadn't wanted to be here, I wouldn't be," Zoro shrugged, looking uncomfortable admitting as much, especially when every member of our crew turned to grin at him. "What? It makes sense, okay?"

"Yes, yes," I agreed, deciding to let him off the hook. "Anyway, if this whole thing proved anything, it's that we definitely need to get a cook."

"That's right!" Nami agreed instantly. "We have that great kitchen, so we need someone who can use it." Then she smirked. "I'll do it if you pay me enough."

"Vetoed," I told her instantly. "We need to get someone how can cook for everyone without getting overwhelmed. And without costing us an arm and a leg."

"Why would she want our arms and legs?" My brother asked, confused, and was subsequently ignored.

"There's a lot of dangers on the sea, huh?" Zoro asked consideringly.

"Yeah, if we hadn't found them that guy would be dead," Usopp agreed, looking serious and more than a little nervous. "We need someone who can consider our diets so that we can stay healthy. Like a Chef of the Sea."

"If you think about it, that's one of the most important jobs there is when you're out at seas," Nami threw in.

"Chef of the Sea?" Luffy asked before grinning. "Alright! I've decided! The next crew member we'll get will be a cook!"

"Eating good food can never be a bad thing, right?" I asked him, smiling just as wide.

"Aniki!" We all turned to find both bounty hunters raising their hands, as if we were in class or something.

"What is it?" Zoro asked, clearly used to this kind of behavior from the two.

"If you're looking for a cook, we know just the place," a smirking Johnny proclaimed. "Of course, getting one to join you won't be easy."

"That's right!" Yosaku broke in. "It's a restaurant on the seas!"

"A restaurant on the seas?" We all echoed, in tones of excitement and disbelief.

"That's right! You should be able to reach it in about two or three days," Johnny told us. "But it's really close to the Grand Line, so you've gotta be careful! There are a lot of dangerous guys in these parts."

"Even the 'Hawk-eyed Man' has been spotted there once before," Yosaku said slyly and I saw Zoro twitch from the corner of my eye. "If it's alright with you, we'll lead the way!"

" _Alright_!"

As everyone congregated around the two bounty hunters in excitement I made my way over to Zoro, who still stood frozen. Once I'd made it to his side, I asked, "Hawk-eyed Man?"

He flinched, having not seen me move next to him, then shook his head. "It's nothing."

I snorted at him. "Who do you think you're talking to?" I asked as I placed a hand on my hip. "I researched and asked about the Grand Line before we set sail. I know who Dracule Mihawk is."

He turned to me at once, eyes dark with anticipation. "Is it true, then? That he visits these parts?"

I shook my head apologetically. "That, I don't know. It's possible, I suppose. But more importantly..." I drew in a deep breath, knowing he wouldn't like what I was about to say. "I won't stop you or even try to talk you out of it. But I will tell you this: his power level is going to be insane. Even Luffy and I together wouldn't be able to touch him. Just... be careful, okay? If he is here?"

He stared back at me for a long moment before he finally spoke. "I will die for my dream." I nodded, knowing that already even though I grimaced at even imagining such a thing happening. "But until I reach my dream, I don't intend to die."

With that, he stepped away and went to join our fellow crewmates. I let out a breath, knowing that was the closest thing to a promise I was likely to get, and followed after him.

.

* * *

.

The next two days passed in roughly the same way as the last week. Nami and Usopp hadn't been all that enthusiastic about returning to training but they'd done it anyways, especially when they caught sight of mine and Luffy's twin glares. We'd continued to try sleeping in separate quarters but, so far, it hadn't been working out. At least one of us woke up nightly because of a bad dream, if not both, and we'd find ourselves curled up on Merry's figurehead and watching the sky once more. Because of this, we weren't getting much sleep and, consequently, weren't in the best of moods.

Nami, especially, was beginning to look guilty, as if she thought it was her fault. Technically, she was the one who'd refused entry to our room by any boy, even Luffy, but I didn't blame her for it. And I wasn't about to overrule her, either. This was one thing she deserved to have a say in and it was her right to feel safe while she slept. She'd been equally adamant that I didn't enter the boy's room to sleep, though, which was something I felt no compunction in glaring at her for.

As they went about training, getting hit with sticks and sparring against each other blindfolded, our two resident bounty hunters sat on the edge and simply watched, crying out encouragements or booing from time to time. When they'd first seen it they'd been appropriately confused and had asked about it. Zoro had simply shrugged and said that it was training, having caught on to the fact I didn't want to explain Haki to people who weren't a part of our crew. The two men had shrugged back, accepting, and that had been that.

It was in the middle of one such training session, Nami and Usopp paired against each other while Luffy went up against Zoro, that I caught my first glimpse of the Restaurant of the Seas from my spot in the crow's nest. I called down an absentminded shout to the others as I observed it. I'd known, of course, that it was a ship in the form of a fish. Even if my memories were becoming murky at best, I could remember that much. It was one thing to know, though, and another to see it with your own eyes.

The ship itself was huge, three stories tall and easily twice the length of the Going Merry, if not more. It was painted a sea-foam green, it's sails striped white and eye-catching orange. The fish mouth was gaping open, the tail unmoving on the other end. And, proclaimed across the top between two lifesavers, was the name Baratie.

"Woah!" My brother's voice cried from below. "What a huge fish!"

"That's so funky!" Usopp agreed.

Before I could throw in my own two cents a presence registered to my senses and I spun, catching sight of a marine vessel that was quickly approaching. I leaned over the edge and yelled down a warning. "Marines! Port Side!"

There was a lot of cursing below when they turned to see that I was right. Almost immediately, the Merry turned direction, sailing further away from the oncoming threat. Instead of lowering anchor at the front, as we'd been planning, we instead sailed around to the other side of the giant restaurant before docking. We waited a few moments to see if we would be followed and, when no one came after us, shrugged.

"Alright!" Luffy yelled out, excitement restored. "Let's go eat some food!"

"Hell yeah!" I agreed instantly, marching right after him. We'd been eating plenty the last few days, it was true, but there was just nothing like eating food made by a professional. I turned back to smirk at Nami over my shoulder. "Your treat, right, _Aneki_?"

"I hate you," she told me, though she still followed after us. I only snickered, practically skipping as we finally entered the restaurant. And then blinked because, for being out in the middle of nowhere and having next to no boats moored to it, this place was actually pretty packed.

"Ah, welcome, welcome, you bastards!" A man stepped forward to greet us, smile wide enough to be creepy as he rubbed his hands together. He was a pretty big guy with a heavily muscled chest and arms. His hair was shaved but noticeably blue in color. "Go ahead and take a seat at any free table you find, you squid-faced assholes!"

We all stared for a moment, thrown off by his pleasant tone and vulgar words, before Luffy broke out into a fit of laughter. "You sure are one weird guy! Thanks!"

We followed his lead as he continued his forward march into the main dining hall and, as luck would have it, found us a large table situated by the wall. We had to beg a few chairs off nearby tables but we all fit, which I honestly hadn't been expecting. We'd only just picked up our menus when a commotion from the other side of the restaurant drew our attention.

A man in a pinstriped suit with pale pink hair had apparently punched a table, cracking it in half, and was now glaring at a blond man in a black suit while his date cowered away from them both. My interest, of course, was in the blond, since I recognized him immediately. He was tall, though not quite as tall as Zoro, with chin length hair. He dressed impeccably in a double-breasted suit with golden cuff links, a pinstriped blue shirt and a black tie. He stood slouched, his body relaxed with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, even as the man before him continued to yell. In fact, he was paying the man no attention at all, his focus solely on the food that was now soaking into the carpet.

I winced. Knowing Sanji as I did, he wasn't about to let that waste go unpunished.

"I am a paying customer!" The pink-haired man practically screeched, his fists clenched and showing off the the iron plates that had apparently been screwed onto his skin. "You're just a cook! Don't be so full of yourself!"

"Fullbody, please!" His date was begging, looking terrified and mortified all at once. "Just forgive him!"

"Money," Sanji finally spoke, looking up with a cold glare as he took another hit from his cigarette, "isn't going to fill your stomach." Without further ado he snapped his leg out, catching the other man solidly in the stomach. He didn't pause there, spinning instead to send another kick to the man's face. The beating went on, brutal, as the patrons watched on in morbid fascination.

"That guy's pretty strong," Luffy whispered to me, eyes not once leaving the spectacle before us. I nodded instantly because it was true.

"Strongest here, besides us and one other guy," I agreed. The other man I was sensing seemed to be on the second floor and was probably overlooking everything, drawn by the commotion, though I couldn't see him. My eyes flickered over to the other employees, who ranged from freaked out to resigned. "And it looks like this happens fairly often, too."

By that time, the blond had apparently decided enough was enough, grabbing hold of the guy's face and holding his limp form up in the air. "Remember this: going against a Chef of the Sea is tantamount to suicide." He let his victim's limp body crumble to a heap on the floor, glaring down at him all the while. "Don't waste food."

"You again, Sanji?!" The guy who'd greeted us at the door came stomping in, looking pissed. "What the hell do you think you're doing to our costumer? Not only that, he's a marine lieutenant!"

"Marine lieutenant?" Nami echoed, blinking in surprise.

"He's probably from that ship we avoided," I said, quickly losing interest as I once again focused on my menu. Should I have chicken or pork? Or both? Then again, it looked like they served a mean steak and lobster, too...

"Oh!" Usopp gasped, enthralled in the goings-on around us. "He's being restrained by two other chefs, now! It really looks like he wants to kill that guy. Man, that's pretty scary."

"If they're not careful, that guy will get this place shut down," our navigator said as she leaned against her hand. "He is a marine, after all. They don't like it when they don't get their way."

"East Blue sure has a bad track record with marines, huh?" I asked absently, flipping another page. They had a pretty good pasta section, too, and it had been forever since I'd had lasagna. "Maybe I should give Gramps another call to tell him to clean this place up."

" _After_ we're in the Grand Line," Luffy ordered, voice serious even as a shudder went up his frame. "If he catches us, we're dead."

I blinked up at him, running the words I'd just spoken through my head once more and then gulped, paling. "Yeah, waiting sounds good. I am definitely okay with waiting."

"Why are you guys so scared of your grandpa anyway?" Nami asked, eyes narrowed at us. "Every time he comes up you both act like he's gonna pop out at any moment to kill you."

"He might," Luffy grumbled.

"He's the one who taught us Haki," I told her. "And he trained us as kids, too. He's... a little eccentric."

"Crazy," my brother corrected. "He's crazy."

"Yeah, pretty much," I agreed. "And he's ridiculously strong."

"When we were little he'd throw us into the jungle all the time. He called it survival training. He even threw is into a den of monkeys one time."

"And he had this thing called the Fist of Love," we both shivered again at just the name of it, "and it was the most painful thing I've experienced to this day. And I got blown up, once!"

"No wonder you guys are the way you are," Usopp mumbled, looking equal parts awed and disturbed.

"The grandfather of a monster is an even bigger monster, huh?" Nami asked faintly. Then she shook her head. "But why would you call him about the marines in the area? Is he a pirate, too?"

My brother and I both snorted before falling into a fit of laughter. When this only caused the navigator to glare at us I tried my hardest to collect myself, though it wasn't easy. "Sorry, sorry! It's just, he's a marine himself, you see? And he wanted us to be, too, and would go on and on about us growing up to be strong officers. He was pissed about us becoming pirates."

"You two as marines?" Zoro asked as he raised an eyebrow at us. "I can't see that at all."

"Seriously," both Johnny and Yosaku seconded.

"Yeah, that was never going to happen," I agreed easily. "But he really did have his heart set on it. I guess I can't blame him, since he's a Vice-Admiral and everything. Of course he'd do what he could to dissuade us from the life of a pirate."

"V-V-V-VICE-ADMIRAL?!" They all yelled, shocked. A few of the other customers looked over at the noise but their attention was soon drawn back to the show taking place in the middle of the room. Only Zoro looked relatively calm, though his eyes had widened.

"Oh, yeah," he murmured, his gaze zeroing in on me. "I remember you telling that shitty captain's bastard son that you were the granddaughter of a Vice-Admiral. So, that wasn't a lie, then?"

"Why would I lie?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "I've told Nami time and time again, if it sounds unbelievable then it's probably the truth. At least from Luffy and I. Anything unbelievable coming from Usopp is definitely a lie."

"Hey!"

"Who is it, then?" Johnny asked, looking interested. Yosaku leaned forward as well, practically hanging off the edge of his seat as he awaited our answer.

"Garp," my brother and I both shrugged, unconcerned. I knew it wouldn't be good to spread it around, which I didn't plan to do. Not only would it spell trouble for us but it'd probably get Gramps in trouble, too. But here and now, we were pretty much nobodies, without even a bounty to our name. We'd only made our flag a few days ago. Nobody was worried about us becoming a threat, at least not yet. Our crew was trustworthy, I knew, and the two bounty hunters would have no reason to go around spilling the beans to anybody.

" _What_?!" Luffy and I both winced, plugging our ears against their shrieks of disbelief.

"That's a lie, right?" Usopp asked us, almost desperately. "That has got to be a lie!"

"The Marine Hero?" Johnny and Yosaku both demanded.

"How the hell can you two be related to _Garp the Fist_?" Nami questioned, incredulous.

Zoro, quiet until now, simply shrugged and said, "Makes sense."

"How the hell does that make sense?!"

"His name is Monkey D. Garp, you know," I told them, amused. "How many other people do you know with that last name?"

"They're both pretty strong," the swordsman said to them, as they were still gaping at him. "It makes sense that they'd be trained by someone strong."

"More like almost killed," Luffy said, pouting.

I nodded, commiserating, "I definitely thought he was going to kill us. More than once."

"Lieutenant Fullbody!" Before everyone could continue questioning our lineage, the front door of the restaurant burst open to reveal a beaten and bloody marine. "It's an emergency! Forgive me, sir, but that man has escaped from the brig!"

"This place sure is noisy," I muttered, annoyed. Couldn't everybody just calm down for a bit? I came here to eat, not watch people run about like headless chickens.

"The underling of Pirate Krieg has escaped!" The marine continued to yell, as if his superior wouldn't know exactly who he was talking about. Immediately, panicked whispers broke out around the room.

"What?" Fullbody demanded from where he was still sitting in a bloodied heap on the floor. "That's impossible! He shouldn't even have the strength to move! He was on death's door when we captured him and he hasn't been fed a thing since!"

"I'm sorry!" The officer looked on the verge of tears. "Forgive me -"

 _BANG!_

I flinched, having not sensed a single thing before the shot rang out. The officer fell to the ground in a spray of blood, revealing a man with a smoking pistol. It made sense, after I laid eyes on him, why I hadn't noticed him earlier. As weak as he was, I could barely sense his presence even now. He was gaunt, almost skeletal, and his clothes practically hung from his frame, looking sizes too big on him. He had dark, bruise-like circles under hazy eyes and blood running down the side of his face. As he made his way inside, obviously trying his hardest to stay steady even though his body clearly wanted nothing but to collapse, I turned a worried look on Zoro.

The swordsman was watching the proceedings with a carefully blank face, arms crossed tightly over his chest, but I could tell he didn't like what he was seeing. Having experienced the hell of starvation just recently, it was no surprise the sight of someone else suffering through it wouldn't sit right with him. I shared a glance with Luffy, just long enough to know that he'd seen the same thing I had, before turning back to the newest customer with a sigh.

Someday, our soft hearts were gonna get us killed.

The man seated himself at a recently empty table, practically collapsing, before kicking his legs up in order to preserve his tough image. "Bring me some food," he called out, voice a raspy whisper. "I don't care what. This place is a restaurant, right?"

"Welcome, you squid-faced bastard!" The giant chef that had greeted us earlier called out, creepy smile once more stretched across his face. Taking this as my cue, I stood and began making my way over, ignoring Usopp and Nami's desperate calls.

"I'll only say this once more, so listen up," the Krieg pirate spoke again, crossing his arms. To others, the move was probably intimidating, but I could see the pained grimace on his face for what it was. His stomach had to be tearing itself apart, desperate for sustenance. "I'm a customer and, as such, you'll bring me food! Now!"

"Of course!" The chef agreed easily before he frowned. "Pardon me, dumbass, but how do you intend to pay?"

"Do you accept lead?" The pirate asked, his pistol held out once more. The chef's face blanked instantly.

"Oh, so you can't pay, then?" He asked in a dangerous tone.

"Nonsense," I interrupted as I stepped up to the table and took a seat. The whole room froze, staring at me in open disbelief as I dropped a few beli onto the tabletop. "That should be enough for some rice and soup, right? And some water?"

The big chef's mood turned a complete one-eighty and he was all smiles once more. "Of course! I'll get that for you bastards right away!"

"What are you doing?" The pirate demanded harshly. "I don't need your charity!"

I shrugged at him. "Pretend you threatened it off of me, then, if it makes you feel better. I don't care either way. And neither should you."

"But why?" He asked again, not letting it go. I sighed, gaze drifting back to the table I'd left. Nami, Usopp and the two bounty hunters looked ready to have a stroke, terrified as they were. Zoro and Luffy were watching closely for any signs of trouble but looked relatively calm. Luffy was even grinning at me and, when he caught my eye, hopped up to make his way over.

"A crewmate of ours went through something similar awhile ago," I told him when I turned back. "He got captured by the marines and they starved him. He got better, but," I shrugged again, helplessly, "I just can't sit back and do nothing when he has such a painful expression on his face. Seeing you like this really bothered him. I wasn't gonna let it go and neither was my captain."

"Got that right!" Luffy's cheerful voice agreed as he plopped into a seat at my side. "Hi! I'm Luffy! And this is Lily!"

"...Gin." The man finally responded, gaze snapping back and forth between the two of us. "My name's Gin."

"Here you are," I looked up as a bowl of steaming rice and broth was set in front of the newly named Gin only to come face to face with Sanji. He had an uncharacteristically soft expression on his face as he let go of the dish and took a step back, gaze fully on the starving man before him. Around us, the patrons had slowly gone back to their seats, since no further violence had yet to occur, and were once more digging into their own meals. It was obvious they were still on edge but they seemed content enough to let it go for now. I was thankful for that as, as soon as the first spoonful was shoveled into Gin's mouth, tears instantly began pouring from his eyes.

"I've never... had such great food before in my life," he told us, voice quiet and head bowed to hide his emotion, though he didn't slow down as he continued stuffing his face with food. For once, I said nothing against speaking with a full mouth. I didn't even feel the urge to scold, not in the face of such genuine gratitude. "Thank you... I thought I was gonna die! I thought I was a goner!"

"It's damn good, right?" Sanji asked, grinning wide.

"Shishishi, looks like it!" My brother agreed, looking absolutely delighted. "And it looks like I found our chef!"

"Huh?" Said chef blinked at us, clearly having overlooked us previously. I could tell the instant his gaze fell upon me and sighed as his eyes practically transformed into hearts. Within seconds he was kneeling at my side, clasping my hand gently and offering me a flower that had appeared out of thin air. "I am truly blessed on this day, to be gifted with the sight of your beauty! Sun-kissed skin and hair the color of night, you are like a kind goddess walking the earth, and I would be grateful but for the chance to grovel at your feet!"

"Uh... thanks?" I offered weakly. He was way more intense than I thought he'd be, even if I had been somewhat prepared for this.

"What's he talking about?" Luffy asked, face scrunched up in confusion.

"He's calling me pretty," I explained because, despite the excessive amount of words he'd used, that really was all he was doing.

"Oh," my brother nodded. "Well, duh. Lili's the prettiest ever. Are you stupid?"

" _Anyway_ ," I cut in, red-faced. "You said something about him being our chef?"

"Oh, yeah!" He grinned at Sanji, who'd yet to stand back up. "You! Join my crew, okay?"

"Oh, so you guys are pirates?" He asked as he finally let go of my hand to instead take a seat next to us. "You better not be thinking of starting any trouble. The owner of this place used to be the cook of a pretty infamous pirate crew."

"That old geezer did?" Luffy asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he's the other strong guy here," I told him, nodding in the direction he'd hobbled which, based on the traffic in and out, was likely the kitchen. His face lit up with understanding.

"This place is that damn geezer's greatest treasure," Sanji told us, sitting back and taking a long pull from his cigarette. "The staff are all either full of admiration for him or crude enough to be pirates themselves, which works out given how dangerous these parts are."

"Not a quiet moment in this place, huh?"I asked, taking a glance around. It had been a madhouse from the moment we walked in, though things seemed to have finally calmed a bit. People were still tense, still glancing this way now and then, but they didn't say anything. Gin, for his part, had finished his rice and was now slurping down his broth. "You should go a bit more slowly," I warned him, though not unkindly. "If you're not careful you'll make yourself sick."

"She's right, you know," Sanji agreed. "I know it's hard, as hungry as you feel, but you'll regret it later if you rush. There's no need for you to hurry. You're a paying customer, so you can take as long as you need."

"Th-Thank you," Gin said again, his voice a bit stronger than it had been before. "Truly."

"I already told you," I smiled at him, "it was no problem at all. Besides, if I hadn't done it, the captain would have. And if _he_ hadn't, then the chef here would've."

"Most likely," the blond agreed, shrugging, before turning a questioning look on me. "But how would you know that?"

"You just seem like the type," I told him cryptically, causing him to swoon.

"You're so beautiful when you're mysterious~!"

I rolled my eyes while Luffy just scrunched his face up once more. "You sure this is the guy you want on the crew?" I asked my brother, though I was mostly joking.

Luffy gazed at Sanji for almost a full minute, face serious, until the man in question began to look distinctly uncomfortable, and then nodded. "Yup, this is the one! I want him to be our cook!"

"I'll have to refuse," Sanji told us, waving the words away. "I have my own reasons for staying here."

"I refuse your refusal!" My brother responded immediately. "You're a good cook, so I want you on my crew!"

"Hey, hey," Sanji protested weakly. "At least hear me out."

"Okay, then, what are your reasons?"

"I don't have to tell you that!"

"You just told me to hear you out!"

"All I meant was that you should hear other people's opinions!" Sanji snarled, leaning forward over the table. "Don't make me chop you up, you straw hat wearing shithead!"

"What?!" Luffy lunged forward, literally butting heads with the blond. "Don't insult my hat or I'll send you flying!"

I sighed at the both of them. " _Boys_."

"You said you're pirates, right?" Gin spoke up, empty bowls sitting beside him. His soft voice was enough to break the two apart and we all turned our attention towards him. "Can I ask what your goal is?"

"One Piece, of course!" Luffy declared instantly, grinning. "We're heading for the Grand Line!"

Gin flinched, an action none of us missed, and his voice turned gravely serious. "You're good people, so I have a piece of advice for you: give up on going there."

My brother and I both blinked at him, surprised, before I asked, "Why?"

"You're both still young. The Grand Line is only one sea in this world, there are plenty others for you to roam."

"Do you know something about it?" Luffy asked, looking excited.

"No, I don't," Gin lowered his head, going even paler than he had been. "That's why it's so terrifying!"

"For being a Krieg Pirate, you're kind of a coward, huh?" Sanji asked bluntly.

"If you'd seen what I had... you'd be just as scared," the man shook his head. "That place was like hell."

"It sounds like you had some really bad luck," I told him sympathetically. "Either that, or your navigator wasn't up to snuff. The Grand Line is a pretty unpredictable place, especially at the entrance. That's why most are forced to turn back because they just can't keep up with it. That, or they run into Grand Line pirates early on before they've even been able to adjust."

Gin blinked wide eyes up at me as he demanded, "Have you been there before?"

"Nah, but I've done my best to read up on the place. That, and I've kept an ear out for any information."

"And when Lili looks for stuff, she finds it," Luffy told him, pride in his voice. The man shook his head at us both.

"Well, I just wanted to warn you."

"Thanks," we both said, genuinely, before my brother continued, "But we're going anyway."

"Well, it's not like I have any right to stop you," Gin shrugged before getting to his feet. "You're free to do what you want. And Sanji, thank you. That truly was the best meal I've ever had." And then he smiled, full of joy, and I stared at the sight of it in shock. "Do you mind if I come back again to eat?"

"Anytime," Sanji offered, satisfied. With one final bow of his head, the Krieg pirate sauntered out of the restaurant with his head held high. The other customers paused to watch him go, wary, and seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief once he was gone. The blond then turned to us. "What about you two? Are you hungry?"

"Oh, man, I'm starving!" Luffy cried out immediately, arms wrapping around his gurgling stomach.

"We were sitting over there," I nodded my head towards our table, where our crewmates were still keeping an eye on us even as they ate the food they'd ordered since we left. "We hadn't been served yet when we came over here."

"That shithead, he's so useless," Sanji grumbled before he stood. "What can I get for you?"

"Meat!" Luffy yelled, prompting an eye roll from me.

"And vegetables," I added, staring him down when he looked like he was about to protest. He pouted at me and, satisfied, I turned back to our clearly amused chef. "And I was thinking of having the Chicken Parmesan."

"Right away, my lady~!" He practically danced his way back to the kitchen, prompting another sigh from me.

"If he is going to be a part of the crew," I said to Luffy, who was laughing at the blond's display, "he's gonna have to cut that shit out."

"I think it's funny," my brother told me, grinning. I raised a brow at him.

"You think it's funny that he's flirting with me?"

"If you didn't like it, you would've punched him," he shrugged, looking unconcerned. "And if I did anything about it before you got the chance, you'd punch _me_."

"True enough," I admitted. "You're sure, though? He's the one that you want?"

"Yup! I won't accept anyone else!"

"You're so stingy," I informed him, but I couldn't hide my smile. "Alright. Looks like we'll be waiting here awhile, then."

"That's fine," Luffy assured me. "It means we get to eat lots of great food!"

And, really, there wasn't much of an argument I could make against that.

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 **A/N: Aaaaaah, hi? This is really late. I know it is, and I'm really sorry! I have two good excuses for this, and one not so good excuse.**

 **My good excuses are: One, I have family driving up this week to bring the rest of my belongings. I've been having to plan with them, schedules and money. They'll be leaving Thursday and getting here Friday and will probably be here until Sunday or Monday (so please don't be mad if the next update takes awhile as well!) Two, I ended up drawing two more pictures of Lily. The links to them are on my bio, for anyone interested in seeing them.**

 **My not so good excuse is: I was reading a fic this week called Reverti Ad Praeteritum by Batsutousai. It's a Fullmetal Alchemist timetravel fic and it is _amazing_! Which is great, since there really aren't many fics like that in that fandom. It's 288,908 words and 30 chapters long and, best of all, it's complete! It has great grammar and characterization and, quite honestly, I'm in love with it. It's also an EdRoy fic, though, fair warning. I'm not the biggest fan of that pairing myself, so I was a bit hesitant when I started it. But they handled it well, in my opinion, and made it believable. So, for anyone interested, I would definitely recommend giving this fic a try. It's on both ffn and ao3!**

 **Now that I'm done gushing about that...**

 **I know this chapter is shorter than the last few have been. I've been spoiling you guys, fitting an entire arc into a single chapter, but that's not something I'll be able to keep up, especially as the arcs get longer. That, combined with the fact that it's already been so long since I've last posted... I decided to break the Baratie arc into two chapters instead. I hope you guys don't mind. Sorry, if you do!**

 **We didn't see too much of Sanji just yet (sorry!) but he's at least been introduced. And Lily's embarrassment at sincere compliments to her appearance continues...**

 **I've always liked Gin and I was disappointed that his character wasn't more explored. Why was he so devoted to Don Krieg? He didn't seem the type for such blind allegiance, honestly. There's so much about him I wish had been revealed.**

 **Lightsbane: When I was debating on whether to include extra characters to the crew, Kaya was definitely an option. I would've figured her as a nurse or something. But, realistically, I feel like she wouldn't have had an easy time of it. She was getting better when Usopp left but she still wasn't completely healthy. And because of her illness she was also fairly weak, having not been able to do much. Being on a ship, and part of a pirate crew no less, would have taken a very hard toll on her at first, I feel.**

 **KiKyojo: Sorry! You'll have to wait to find that out haha thank you for reading, though!**

 **xenocanaan: Exactly! Garp is one terrifying guy, even when he's just trying to smother them in affection. Too bad for them, he often took the smothering part literally haha I feel like after growing up with him around, and especially now because they got extra training from him, there's really not much that can match of to the level of terror the thought of Garp inflicts on them. And I have a little something planned for the reveal to Sanji that Lily and Luffy are twins, just you wait... hahaha**

 **Juliedoo: I feel like Nami and Lily will be great, long-suffering friends. They're really the only responsible ones onboard, though Lily tends to be a bit more ridiculous and more willing to go along with shenanigans.**

 **athenaincarnate: The reviews showed up! I'm so glad! Honestly, it would've been horrible to lose them all. Your reviews are always my favorite, because they never fail to be long and full of great points. I will agree on your opinions on Nojiko and Bellemere, but at the same time she hasn't really been around them much. Bellemere, for obvious reasons, though Nami never forgot what her mother did for her. Nojiko, because Nami is always traveling to get money. And I feel like when she is around she tries not to spend a lot of time with her sister, to protect her. But to see someone, a human girl with no Devil Fruit powers no less, stand up to enemies and actually _win_? Yeah, that's definitely going to make an impression on someone like Nami. I feel like she was, subconsciously at least, hoping for the crew to come after her by taking the Going Merry. Though, let's face it, they would've gone after her regardless. No way would Luffy have accepting anything else. I agree with you about Luffy being a very empathetic person but he does seem to have trouble really making connections with how things may be. It helps to have someone who can clarify, to give him that "ah-ha!" feeling, you know? Zoro won't have Observation by the time he fights Mihawk, as it would take more than just a few days to awaken it, but he Lily has already warned him. I think he already knew in canon as well, because how could he not? It's hard to see, since he had definitely gotten more than a bit cocky since not many in East Blue could match up with him. But as Lily has told him more than once, getting cocky is a good way to get dead. But even knowing he didn't stand a chance, he would never be able to pass up such an opportunity. If he did, he wouldn't be the Zoro we all know and love. The burn on Lily's back is a weakness that they really did need to know about since, as shown last chapter, it can be pretty dangerous. And who says you missed out on Nami's reaction to seeing it? Just because watched over Lily and stayed with her when she was with the doctor doesn't mean that she saw it. With the wound being where it was, she would've had to bandage over Lily's tank top, since they were in the middle of a fight and she couldn't exactly just take her shirt off. So, don't worry! Nami may know about he burn but she hasn't seen it yet! Even if she didn't know about Water 7, Lily would still try to do everything she could to raise up Usopp's self-esteem, since she'd never want a nakama to feel so poorly about themselves. I have a few ideas about how she can handle it and I'm just waiting to implement them. And, just so you know, Zoro definitely sat on the bed of his own accord. He probably did it originally just to keep watch over his crewmates and captain and ended up falling asleep. Because how could he not fall asleep? So, let the bliss begin haha Lily is the mom of the crew, but I feel like Nami would HER mom in the crew, honestly. Lily definitely needs someone to look after her because we've seen in the past that she's pretty reckless with herself, especially when it comes to the safety of those she cares about. As for Zoro's debt to Nami, I feel like it's mostly brought up in canon as a comedic relief tool. It does bother me that she lords it over him so much but, let's face it, most of the things she uses it to ask for are things he'd probably do regardless. It's kind of like she's giving him a reason, though, to act kind while also saving face? I don't know, don't quote me on that hahaha**

 **Appirinia: I'm glad that you're recovering! Depression is definitely a horrible thing to experience, both for the one going through it and the people that have to watch. It's sad knowing that a lot of people now-a-days are affected by it in some way. But I hope that things continue to get better for you and I am glad that my writing has been able to help you! Continue to stay strong! I'm proud of you!**

 **Stolyint: I did start the Haki training this chapter, so good call! Haha yes, the bonding between them all is something I very much enjoy writing and I plan to continue. I hope to make their bonds much closer than they are in canon.**

 **AzureLazuli: It's okay! You're not the only one to make that mistake! A lot of people seem to think it's "Lilly" instead of "Lily". Which is understandable, I guess, since her name isn't spoken often unless it's Luffy calling her "Lili". The puppy piles will never die! Muahahaha! Even though there wasn't much of them in this chapter, besides Lu and Lily. But fear not! They will definitely make a come back! I've gotten a lot of comments about last chapter with people saying they understood and related to what I'd said about my experiences with depression and, while I'm glad I didn't end up offending anyone, it also makes me sad to think that so many people live through it as well. I hope that you're able to keep your chin up and stay strong, always. Thank you for your review!**

 **pokeloon: No Luffy punching Sanji in this chapter, sorry! Though, as pointed out by the captain himself, if he'd done that instead of letting Lily handle it, Lily would've punched _him_. I want the characters to become stronger, faster, but I also want to keep things realistic. And having weaknesses is also a part of that, at least until Lily's strong enough to cover for it. **

**Catflower Queen: I feel like, in canon, most of the crew sees Luffy as a perpetually happy-go-lucky guy who's completely clueless and helplessly reckless. Which, while not wrong, isn't really right either. And he's not the type that would go out of his way to explain the tragic things he'd gone through in his childhood either, so they really wouldn't know the difference. The Luffy of canon is very much a "live in the moment" kind of person. Lily isn't and, because of that, Luffy isn't as much either. Neither of them are going to hide their past, especially now that they have someone around who'll know what they're talking about. The inherent pevertedness in the One Piece universe has always rubbed me the wrong way. I think that's why I love Luffy's character so much because he really, genuinely, does not care. Even faced with a naked Hancock, _twice_ , he is completely disinterested and doesn't take advantage of the situation at all. Which is really rare. Lily is definitely the ships resident mother hen. It's been decided, no take backs haha As for Merry, she was never made for a journey across the Grand Line. And maybe she would've made it to Sabaody if she was owned by any other crew, but with all the things the Straw Hats put her through, not least of which was traveling to the sky via Knock Up Stream? No way. Plus, Sunny is important, too! The difficulties of having different quarters have started, though they haven't quite yet been solved. There's an easy answer that no one's really thought about yet but they'll get there eventually haha**

 **chickeyd: Yes, the East Blue arcs are definitely boring now, simply because I've read through so many fics with them. I can't imagine Lily and Luffy never bringing up their brothers around their crewmates. And, since they have shared experiences, they'd end up talking more about their past in general as well. It's one of my goals to make all of their relationships much closer here than in canon.**

 **OPF: The puppy piles will never die! Yes, I'm working really hard on adding lots of interaction and character growth to everybody. It did always bother me that Luffy telling Usopp about his dad was never shown, since he was clearly desperate to learn more about the guy. As for Haki, I'm trying to keep it as realistic as possible. Luffy learned all three types in a year and a half, it's true, but he was also getting constant one on one training _and_ that was the only training he was doing at the time. Plus, he was much more desperate to learn, having lost Ace and determined to never lose anyone ever again. And, honestly, he also had the benefit of being a main character on his side. Here, he hasn't gone through any of that stuff yet and so isn't as motivated to learn it. Though that doesn't mean they aren't both still trying! Luffy really isn't the type to care if someone's flirting with his sister, though he still has a protective instinct over her. He just knows better than to try to Alpha Male it up in front of her, because Lily would beat him up hahaha I will definitely try to update as quickly as possible. And I will do everything in my power to never go on hiatus!**

 **furuba-suzume: Lily is, without a doubt, the mom of the ship. And I love it, honestly.**

 **Sunshine-Girl: I have links in my bio to drawings I've made of Lily, showing her appearance as both a child and now, in the recent chapters!**

 **Fireheart K: Thank you! Zoro is definitely still the First Mate, since I don't have the heart to change that. Lily's position hasn't really been discussed, in the fic, but I've decided that if she's anything it's Quartermaster.**

 **Sacuna: Thinking of my own experiences and relating them to Kaya really had me respecting her character a lot more. I'm glad that you've liked this story so far and thank you for reading and leaving a review!**

 **A lot of you have been saying how much you're looking forward to Luffy more or less flying into a protective rage in Lily's defense against Sanji. I'm sorry to say that that isn't going to be happening. It's not because Lu isn't protective of her (because he is) but rather, he knows she would hate it if he did. And, more than that, seeing people flirt with her doesn't bother him. It's when they force themselves on her or make her uncomfortable that he begins to get angry. But he trusts Lily to handle herself, even if he'll be there just in case she can't. And Sanji isn't the type of person that would make it necessary for Luffy to step in and, if he was, Luffy would never invite him to the crew. So, again, sorry to any of you who are disappointed!**

 **I have no idea when the next chapter will be up but hopefully it won't be too long of a wait.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite or leave a review to let me know what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Warning for blood and description of a wound and the treatment of it (including disinfecting and suturing.)**

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The following days dragged on.

Luffy spent his time following Sanji around like a lost puppy, begging for scraps in between demands that he join our crew. I could see the cook's patience wear thinner and thinner by the day, especially after Zeff gave my brother permission to enter the kitchen - on the stipulation that he not touch any food not meant for him, of course, though with the way Sanji continued absentmindedly making him snacks even while hurling vicious threats, it had yet to become an issue - and I was surprised he hadn't actually attempted to kill the rubber boy already.

While our captain was busy throwing out recruitment speeches, Zoro and I had been left in charge of training. Ever since he'd heard about the possibility of Mihawk showing up here, the swordsman had been working himself to the bone, barely even taking the time to nap on the deck every now and then, an endeavor I joined him on.

Our ability to sleep through the night had yet to improve, though it hadn't gotten worse either, thankfully. My brother and I were averaging about four hours of sleep a night, at the most, and because of this I found myself flagging pretty rapidly. In an effort to build up more energy, it became a pretty common sight to find me folded up in some corner of the deck, snoozing away. If I could get away with it, it was usually while curled around one of my crewmates.

Zoro was my most frequent victim, given his own penchant for naps. The first time he'd awoken only to find me using his arm as a pillow, he'd been thoroughly unimpressed. He'd still waited until I woke up myself to start complaining, though, which really just showed how worried he actually was. Whenever he took a break from running about and causing mayhem, Luffy usually joined us, snuggling up to us and conking out in minutes.

Usopp was usually too restless to sit still long enough, though he did try a few times. He seemed more anxious to set sail than any of us, which I supposed made sense. He'd only joined us a short time ago, having never left his home island before, and he was clearly itching for adventure. Because of that, he spent most of his time following Luffy around while throwing out outrageous lies or continuing his training with a weird mixture of determination and reluctance. The only time he was capable of staying in a single spot for any given amount of time was when he was working on developing his ammo, which usually consisted of mixing various harmful ingredients together. Not wanting to twitch in my sleep and cause something to spontaneously combust, I stayed well away from him during those times.

Nami was the only one who was more than willing to let me use her as a glorified pillow, not counting my brother. Her downtime usually consisted of map making and plotting out our route towards the Grand Line, which meant she was kept stationary long enough for me to get in a decent hour or two, and so long as her dominant hand was free to move she didn't seem to mind. I also noticed it helped to assuage whatever ridiculous guilt she was feeling over not being able to help me more, which I was thankful for.

And that was where I found myself now, leaning against her left side, my head resting against her shoulder as we sat side by side in the galley. Her body moved minutely as she made deliberate strokes, measuring out lines and referencing the books and maps scattered about the table top. The only sound in the room was our soft breathing and the scratch of her pen on paper.

I was drifting off quickly, lulled by the feelings of contentment I was getting from each of my crewmates - Luffy and Usopp were both in the Baratie's kitchen with Sanji, Zoro was out on deck doing push-ups and the bounty hunting duo appeared to be eating in the restaurant's dining room - which was why it came as such a shock when I was suddenly blasted with _terror_ and _grief_ and an old, weary kind of _resignation._

I bolted upright immediately, my senses sharpening to take in my surroundings even as I tried to blink the sleep from my eyes. It took a few moments to realize that the feelings were coming from this very room, right beside me, and I slowly turned hazy brown eyes towards our navigator. Who, for her part, was grimacing quite horrifically as she stared down at the map before her.

"Nami?" I asked softly, hesitantly, and she jolted before turning wide eyes on me. Clearly, she'd forgotten I was even here.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" She asked before pasting on a completely fake smile. "I didn't mean to. I just noticed something about our route. I have to go -"

"Nami." My voice was firm enough to cause her to freeze, half standing from where she'd been about to make her escape. Taking her distraction to my advantage, I snatched the map out from under her, ignoring her noise of protest to instead scan the document, looking for whatever it was that had spooked her so thoroughly. It didn't take long, my eyes following our route until they lit upon the next group of islands we would be heading towards: Conomi Islands.

No wonder she was such a mass of chaotic emotions right now.

"What's at Conomi Islands?" I asked, handing the paper back easily when she moved to snatch it from me.

"N-Nothing," she stuttered, eyes wide and almost desperate before the hardened in anger. "It's none of your business."

"It is if we're heading there," I told her, unphased with her sudden abrasiveness. I didn't need her answers, not knowing what I already did, but I wanted her to say it nonetheless.

"You're not." Her tone was full of conviction. I narrowed my eyes at her, not missing her choice of words. _You're_ , not _we're_. "There's no reason for your crew to go there. It's just a boring little group of islands. You'd be better off skipping it and heading straight for the Red Line."

"And you?" I challenged. "Where will you be heading?"

That seemed to give her pause and she gulped, avoiding my gaze. "There's something I have to do," she whispered before straightening her spine, meeting my eyes once more with grim determination. As I watched I could practically see her packing all of the emotions, the affection, that she'd let herself feel these last few weeks away until nothing was left but the mission she'd assigned herself so long ago. "I'm going."

I sighed, suddenly exhausted, and rubbed at my temples for a moment. I hadn't known how this would turn out, honestly. I remembered before that Nami had stolen the Going Merry during the chaos caused by Don Krieg's arrival and that Luffy had sent Usopp and a wounded Zoro after her. I couldn't remember what it had been that had spurned her sudden departure in the first place, and so hadn't known what to keep my eye out for. I'd been wondering if she'd just up and leave us again, and maybe she would have if I hadn't been here to force answers out of her, even though I hoped that wouldn't have been the case.

She hadn't really wanted to go before, I knew. For all her heartless behavior, she'd wanted desperately to keep everyone she cared for safe, and that included the Straw Hat crew. And it was clear she didn't really want to go now, either, what with how stiffly she was holding herself, how hard she was fighting to keep her feelings hidden from even herself. She didn't want to leave us but she would, without hesitation, if it meant her village and her sister would be safe.

And really, could I blame her for that?

I sighed again, feeling it all the way down to my bones, before getting to my feet. "Come one, we're going to talk to Luffy."

"What?" Nami asked, thrown off guard as I took gentle hold of her elbow and began leading her out into the afternoon sun. I pulsed my aura, knowing my brother would get the message and come to meet us, and continued my way out onto the deck. Zoro had moved onto using a piece of rigging for pull-ups, his body held stiff as a board as he went. He paused for a moment to glance down at us and, when I gave him a reassuring smile but made no move to stop and talk, he nodded back at me and continued on. "Why do we need to talk to Luffy?"

"He's the Captain," I reminded her, looking back so that she could see the way I rolled my eyes. "He gets the final say."

"Final say on what?" His voice called before he was hopping up onto the railing beside Merry's head, arms snapping back into place from where they'd been stretched. He remained there, crouched, as he looked between both Nami and I.

"I told you from the get-go," the navigator snarled, finally ripping her arm from my grasp, "I'm not a part of your crew. I don't need your permission!"

Luffy's face twisted into a frown, head tilting to the side as he observed the girl before him. People often called him an idiot, hopelessly oblivious to those around him, which was very, _very_ far from the truth. Luffy was an extremely empathetic person. He could easily relate to others or, at the very least, see their points of view. It was just that, most times, he didn't bother. To him, it wasn't really worth the effort unless you were one of his precious people. And if you were, well, there wasn't much you could hide from him then.

The others hadn't learned that yet. They would.

"You're leaving," he finally stated, eyes narrowing in disapproval when Nami flinched which, really, was all the answer he needed.

"I told you," she repeated, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, "there's something I have to do. I'm collecting money to buy a certain town. So, I have to go."

It was quiet for another moment, Luffy's eyes drifting to the side and he pouted his lip out, his thinking face making an appearance. I said nothing, even when his face started to become a bit red with how much though he was putting into it, letting him come to his own decision. Finally, he let out a large breath.

"Take Usopp," he commanded, his gaze snapping back to hers. She straightened instinctively with the order before slumping, confusion marring her face.

"Usopp?" She asked, huffing. "I don't need anyone to come with me. This is my business. It has nothing to do with your crew."

"You do, though," I broke in before they could get into that argument. We'd be here all day if they did, given how stubborn they both were. "You agreed to go to the Grand Line with us, to be our navigator so that you could find more treasure. Until you've fulfilled your part of the bargain, you're not getting rid of us that easily."

"Fine," she snapped, glaring and baring her teeth. "But why Usopp? If this is a safety thing, he's the worst choice. I'll probably end up protecting _him_."

"I can't go," Luffy told her, because obviously. "Sanji's being stubborn. And Zoro's waiting, so he can't go either."

I smiled, completely unsurprised that he'd picked up on our swordsman's antsy anticipation, before grimacing. "I guess I _could_ go with you..."

My brother made a face, clearly as thrilled with that idea as I was. Which was to say: not at all. Nami groaned, covering her face with her hands for a moment before tilting her head towards the sky, clearly praying for the patience to deal with us. "You two are way too codependent. It's really not healthy."

We both shrugged at her, completely unrepentant. "So, Usopp. He's been getting really restless anyways. Moving about will do him some good."

"Johnny and Yosaku might go with you, too," Luffy suggested, though his tone made is obvious that he really couldn't care less. They weren't a part of our crew and so weren't his responsibility.

Nami let out a long breath, looking equal parts defeated and reassured. She hadn't wanted us to get involved but I could tell that she was grateful to have our support and to know that she wasn't alone. She was still a roiling mess of uncertainty, fear and grief, though, which had my brother narrowing his eyes at her, not liking the fact that he didn't know what the problem was so that he could punch it in the face.

Instead, as she turned away to track down our wayward sniper, he called out to her, the seriousness of his voice freezing her instantly. "If you're not back by the time Sanji joins," he told her, eyes dark and tone conveying just how useless arguing would be, "we're coming after you."

Nami gulped before nodding shakily and hurrying forward. We watched her go and, once she was out of sight, my brother turned towards me.

"Do you know where she's going?"

"Conomi Islands," I answered immediately, crossing my arms over my chest. "From what I've heard, that's Arlong's turf. He's a fishman pirate captain who's said to be pretty vicious. And he really does not like humans."

All of which I'd known from my previous life. But I'd also heard quite a bit of chatter around the taverns of Edge Town and while I was sneaking about High Town. A fishman pirate coming to East Blue of all places, especially being sent here by a Shichibukia, wasn't something that could just fly under the radar. There was bound to be tons of gossip about it and, being who I was and knowing just how important it could prove to be, I'd listened to all of it.

Luffy, completely unsurprised with my knowledge, nodded. He likely had no idea who I was talking about but trusted me enough to tell him what he needed to know. "When we first met, Nami said she was collecting money to buy a village."

I hummed, "Arlong probably took control of her island. Not many near the Grand Line were able to escape his influence."

He scowled for a moment before his face suddenly cleared. "That means all I've got to do is beat him up, right? And then Nami can come with us and smile more! Right?"

"Eventually," I agreed, patting his head fondly. Honestly, only he could make something like this sound so simple. "Nami's trying to be really strong, though, so let's have faith in her, okay?"

"Mm!" My brother agreed easily, grin never leaving his face and looking far more cheerful now that he had a target and a way to help his nakama. "And we'll be there when she needs us!"

"Definitely."

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Johnny and Yosaku were all for heading out, having spent a decent chunk of their funds on food here already. Usopp looked nervous without any of us ' _monsters_ ' coming along but hadn't argued or complained, surprisingly, which proved just how antsy he was becoming.

As the bounty hunters and Usopp loaded the bulging bags of treasure onto their boat, Nami watched with narrowed eyes. It was obvious she wasn't looking forward to being stuck on a tiny little ship with three other people, _again_ , but it wasn't like there was much choice. Johnny and Yosaku's boat was their best bet, since there was no way they'd all fit into the rowboat that had come with the Merry.

"Be careful, okay?" I ordered once they were all settled and ready to unfurl the sail. The three men saluted me, faces serious even as Usopp's knees trembled. Nami nodded, looking far more nervous than I'd ever seen her.

"Yeah, as soon as we have our cook we'll be right behind you!" Luffy assured cheerfully, grinning widely. The navigator twitched but said nothing, instead huffing and turning away to check on her treasure once more. As if she didn't already know where each piece of it was.

"Yeah, we'll be seeing you," she threw over her shoulder in an unconcerned voice, giving us a careless wave as she went, and it was almost painful how forced it all was. "Get to work, boys!"

They scrabbled to follow her command, tripping over each other as they went, and I sighed. They would not be having an easy time of it during their journey.

It was just as they were casting off that motion on the horizon caught my eye and I turned, shielding my eyes with a hand as I tried to get a better look at what was out there. "Is that... a ship?"

Luffy turned to follow my line of sight immediately, narrowing his eyes dramatically for a second before grinning. "Yeah! And a big one!"

"Hm," I crossed my arms as I regarded it. Last time Nami had left just as Krieg showed up, hadn't she? And we hadn't really done anything that would've prolonged his arrival. In fact, Gin had likely gotten back to him faster than he had last time and he surely would have told his captain about this place, especially after seeing the state of his commander and fellow crewmates. Even this far out, I could tell they weren't in good shape. "I don't sense much coming from it."

My brother screwed his face up, concentrating hard for a moment before letting out a gust of air. "I don't either."

I hummed in thought for a moment and then shrugged. The Merry was still docked around the other side of the restaurant, which meant that she'd hopefully escape most of the battle. And it wasn't like we could attack them from here, was it? We'd just have to wait until they get here and deal with it then. Decided, I turned back to face Luffy. "Where's Zoro, by the way?"

"Shishishi, he fell asleep in Merry's rigging."

"In the -" I snorted unattractively, hastily covering my mouth as more giggles escaped. It wasn't that I was surprised, really, because the swordsman really had been working himself into the ground these past few days (figuratively, at least, since we hadn't seen dry land in quite awhile). If I was surprised about anything it was that something like this hadn't happened sooner. No, what had me laughing was the visual. "Oh, god, I have to see this."

Without further ado I made my way towards our ship, Luffy skipping along beside me. He seemed a bit tense, what with half of his crew being gone and out of his reach now, and so this distraction was definitely a welcome one.

Once we'd climbed onto the deck I could only stop and stare for a moment, because my brother hadn't been kidding. Zoro's legs were tangled in rope, which was what had been holding him up this whole time, and his arms were flung over the lines as well. His head was tilted forward, resting against the netting, and even from here I could hear his snoring.

I couldn't help it. I completely broke down into hysterics and Luffy, never one to pass up a good laugh, went right along with me. I could feel Zoro's aura jolt in surprise at the sudden blast of noise and then, before Lu or I could calm ourselves down, he gave a shout of alarm. I looked up quickly, knowing that a fall from that height would hurt, only to find that his tangled legs had saved him. Only now he was hanging upside down by his knees, arms crossed tightly over his chest and glaring down at us in an extremely unimpressed fashion. It would have been a pretty frightening expression if it weren't for the slight pink tinge of his cheeks. Which, honestly, just had me howling louder.

It took awhile to get him down, since I had to stop every few minutes to laugh again. Luffy wasn't even hiding his mirth, giggling right into the irate swordsman's face as he worked to set him free. Once he was, he climbed down and stomped his way across the deck, refusing to look back even as he threw us a curt thanks.

"I think he's embarrassed," I told Luffy once he'd jumped down out of sight, heading towards the dinning room. I grimaced for a moment. Now that Nami was gone, taking her treasure with her, it was likely to fall to me to pick up the tab now. After all the times I'd teased the navigator these past few days, it was probably karma.

"It was pretty funny," Luffy agreed before he froze in realization. "Ah! He's gonna eat without us! C'mon, Lili, we have to hurry!"

I sighed as I watched him all-out sprint after our crewmate. Yep, definitely karma.

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* * *

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We were well into our meal when shouts of panic began to ring out, the other customers having finally noticed the giant galleon making its way here. Its Jolly Roger was recognized almost instantly, two hourglasses set beside a skull in a warning to their enemies, presumably letting them know that they were out of time. I had to admit, it was pretty dramatic and, if it had been any other pirate, I would've approved. As it was though, it only made me want to scoff.

I leaned my head against my hand and closed my eyes, focusing on the incoming ship. There were multiple tiny auras, all of them close to starvation and weakening by the minute. What little I could sense of them was tinged with despair and horror, something that had me frowning. All but two, that was. One I could easily recognize as Gin, still weak but far stronger than he'd been the last time I'd seen him. The other was full of contempt and glee and, to me, felt like a _lie_. That was the only way I could really describe it.

It wasn't hard to guess just who it was.

"Wow, that really was a huge ship!" Luffy called from where he'd pressed his face to the window. "Maybe Gin came back to thank you for the food again!"

Sanji, standing at his side and holding a bottle of wine in a white-knuckled grip, looked a little dazed. "I don't think that's what's going on..."

"That ship is a wreck," I pointed out as I took my place beside them. Zoro, heaving a put upon sigh as he went, ambled over as well. "I doubt they'd come out here just to say thanks while it's in such a condition."

The ship itself was extremely intimidating. It towered over the Baratie which, itself, towered over the Merry. The fact that it was sliced all to hell and its sails were in tatters did nothing to dispel the anxiety its sheer size inspired; if anything, it added to it. It looked like a bonafide ghost ship, risen straight from Davy Jones' Locker itself.

"To turn a ship that size into that sad of a state... That's not the work of humans," Sanji almost whispered, eyes wide in awe. "That has to be the work of a natural disaster."

"Not necessarily," I disagreed. It showed just how preoccupied he was that the chef didn't fall over himself at my presence. Not that I was complaining. "There are a lot of people who could do such a thing in this world, especially in the Grand Line. That looks like the work of a swordsman, though."

I flicked a meaningful glance towards Zoro and saw him stiffen in response. He practically lunged forward, gaze roving over the ship with a fierce intensity. Slowly, as he saw what I had, a nearly-feral grin began to make its way onto his face. "You don't say."

Before I could reply, the front doors burst open in a strange imitation of just a few days earlier. Only, this time, there was no marine officer shouting in panic. Instead, there stood two men. One was Gin and the other, leaning practically all of his weight on his subordinate and looking pale and sickly, was none other than Don Krieg.

"Sorry for intruding..." His raspy voice echoed about the suddenly silent room. He was panting, stumbling forward with shaky steps. "But could I have some water... and food? If it's money you want, I've got plenty."

"He looks like he's starving," Luffy commented, brows furrowed. I glanced over to check Zoro's reaction, only to find him still staring out at the wrecked galleon outside, his hand clutched around the hilt of his white sword. I let him be, knowing that as he was now he was unlikely to care about much else but the chance to fulfill his promise.

"That's because he is," I told my brother, turning back to the scene before us. "Can't you sense him? He and his crew both."

"It's really faint," he frowned. "I can barely sense them at all."

In that moment, Krieg's face suddenly went slack and he went down like a marionette with its strings cut. Gin was down on his knees at his captain's side in an instant, turning pleading eyes towards any who would listen. "Please! You have to help my captain! He'll die at this rate!"

He was met with only silence, which wasn't too surprising. Krieg had a reputation of his own, known for being ruthless and vicious. He was an absolute terror, the vision of his flag a nightmare for those living in East Blue, and yet here he was starving and helpless on the ground.

Sudden laughter caught everyone's attention as Patty stepped forward. "So this is what the infamous Don Krieg looks like, huh?"

"We're paying costumers!" Gin argued, looking desperate.

"Hey, contact the marines!" The chef continued, paying the pirate no mind as he yelled back to his fellow cooks. "This is the perfect chance to rid the seas of this guy. Don't give him a single morsel of food!"

"What the hell?" I muttered, annoyed. Sure, I had no love for Krieg, but wasn't this extremely hypocritical? As Sanji began making his way towards the kitchen, I raised my voice so that nobody paid him any mind. "I thought this restaurant was for anyone on the sea? You welcome pirates here all the time, don't you? So long as they can pay? Why is he any different?"

"Listen, girlie, you have no idea what you're talking about," the giant chef waved my words away carelessly and it took everything in my power not to snarl at him. "This guy is a right menace. The world will be a much better place with him behind bars."

"Then call the marines," I challenged. "And feed him while you wait for them to arrive. Unless you're too scared?"

"Scared? Of this guy?" He jerked his thumb towards where the pirate had still yet to move, Gin's gaze snapping back and forth between me and the chef, hope glimmering in his eyes even as he clenched his teeth at the insult, especially when the nearby people began to laugh at the ridicule. "There's nothing he can do. That's the point! Guys like him don't deserve food!"

"You're a chef!" I yelled, all thoughts of distraction gone in my anger. Luffy grabbed a firm hold of my arm, keeping me from lunging forward the way I wanted to, even as he stared the other occupants down with firm disapproval. "It's your job to feed everybody! There's no such thing as a person who doesn't deserve to eat!"

"Nicely said," Sanji's voice commented as he stepped back into the room, plate of rice held firmly in one hand. He stopped for a moment to spin, aiming a kick straight into Patty's face, before carrying on as if nothing had happened. "You idiots should listen when such a beautiful woman is talking. Especially since she's clearly much smarter than any of you bastards."

"Sanji?" Gin asked, voice trembling. Beside him, Krieg was pushing himself onto his hands and knees, inch by painful inch, though he kept his head bowed.

"Please, just give me some food. I'll even take leftovers, it doesn't matter, just please!"

"Don, please stop!" There were tears gathering in the pirate's eyes and I grimaced, looking away. I hated to think that this man was so loyal and would receive nothing but betrayal in return. "A great man like you shouldn't lower his head!"

"Here," our cook placed the plate onto the floor before them. The captain lunged for it immediately, shoveling the food into his mouth before he'd even finished talking. "Dig in."

"Sanji, get that food away from him!" Carne yelled, panicked. "Don't you have any idea who this guy is?!"

"He's a man of deception," I answered, gaze solidly on Patty, who was slowly pulling himself back up to his feet. "He disguised himself as a marine when he escaped from prison, then killed the commander of the ship and took it over. He's attacked towns and ships by flying the marine's flag and has even flown the white flag in order to launch surprise attacks against his enemies. He'll stoop to anything in order to win, including hiding various weapons on his person."

Okay, so I was a little angry over the whole ' _have no idea what you're talking about_ ' comment. I never said I wasn't capable of being petty sometimes.

"Exactly!" Carne agreed, either not sensing my animosity towards his fellow cook or ignoring it entirely. "There's no way a guy like him is just going to eat and then leave quietly! It's against his nature!"

Luffy and I were moving before the sudden surge of violence had even registered. Luffy, being closer, was just in time to take a solid grip on Sanji's suit jacket and yank him back, narrowly avoiding Krieg's swinging fist as he did so. Stepping in front of the two, I caught the Don's arm in a tight grip, halting his movement. Everyone froze, a shocked silence descending over the room.

"I told you!" Carne roared, sounding equal parts panicked and pissed. "I told you something like this would happen!"

"Don Krieg!" Gin shouted, looking devastated. "You said you wouldn't harm anyone! That's why I guided you here! And more than that, these people are our saviors!" His words choked off into a sound of pain as his captain gripped his shoulder, buckling his knees and sending him to the ground in a heap.

"Gin!" Luffy and Sanji both yelled in concern. Krieg paid them no mind, however, didn't even seem all that concerned that his own subordinate was on the floor. Instead, his gaze was locked solidly with my own.

"Savoir?" He asked, thoughtful. "You're the girl who paid for him. The one who spoke as if she'd traveled the Grand Line?"

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious, but found no reason to lie about it. "I am."

"In that case..." Before I could blink, he'd twisted the arm I still held, switching grips until it was my own that was caught. He yanked me forward, hard, and I couldn't stop the small cry of pain that slipped through my lips as I felt my bones creak in response. "I'll be taking you and this restaurant with me."

Of course, that was as far as the man got before he found himself surrounded. Zoro had the blade of Wado Ichimonji placed right against his throat on one side while Sanji's leg had come to rest next to his head on the other. Luffy stood between us, looking ready to kill.

"Let her go," he ordered, voice carrying throughout the room even for how quiet it was. "Before I make you."

Krieg seemed decidedly unintimidated, sneering down his nose at the lot of them. "I give orders, I don't follow them," he informed them. "And when I say I'm taking something, _I mean it_."

He tried to yank me forward once more and that was when I decided enough was enough. I went along with his pull, letting it add to my momentum as I ducked around my brother, slipping a knife into my hand and plunging it directly into the meat of the man's thigh. He yelped and, when he tried to stumble away from the source of pain, I ripped the blade from him, uncaring that I splattered the floor with blood in the process. I hadn't hit his femoral, aiming instead for his perforating veins, and so there wasn't as much blood as there could have been. Still, it was shock enough for him to release me and take a solid step back. Sanji and Zoro both let him go, making no move to follow now that he no longer had a grip on me, while Luffy just pouted.

"I wanted to punch him," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest to more effectively sulk.

"Sorry, not sorry," I replied, shrugging, as I wiped my knife against a napkin on a nearby table. And then I looked towards Krieg once more, making sure to interject as much condescension as possible into my tone as I spoke. "Also, I've never sailed the Grand Line. I just researched it. Something that every person who chooses to sail there should do, lest they end up looking like an over-arrogant moron who got chased out with his tail between his legs."

"You - You bitch!" He yelled, eyes looking crazed as he gripped his bleeding thigh tightly. "I am Don Krieg, I am the strongest! I command fifty ships and five thousand men! _I will not be defied_!"

"Do you, though?" I asked with clearly faked sympathy. "Do you really? Because it looks as though you only command one at the moment and it isn't even in very good shape. And from what I can figure, there's maybe... what, a hundred men on that ship?"

Luffy nodded along, brows scrunched as he concentrated. "And they're all super weak, too. I can barely feel them."

"Sorry to break it to you, _Don,_ but from where we're standing, you're really not much of a threat."

"You - You -" He was so incensed that he seemed honestly at a loss for words, his face twisted further and further until he finally snarled. "I'll just kill you all and _take it_ then!"

Compartments holding gun muzzles popped open as his coat fell from his shoulders, his shirt ripping to reveal golden armor underneath. Two giant pistols slipped into his bloody palms and he didn't even seem to aim them before he began opening fire. The patrons who, until this point, had been watching on in morbid fascination began to scream, shoving at each other as they tried desperately to make their way out of the floating building. I cursed along with Zoro and Sanji, all three of us hopping backwards even as Luffy stepped forward, spreading his arms wide in an effort to catch any stray bullets that may hit one of us.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Sanji demanded, looking ready to lunge forward again to yank him out of harm's way. The proof that he obviously cared was enough to warm my heart, but I still took hold of his arm to prevent him from doing so.

"He'll be okay," I assured when he glanced down at me, wide-eyed, before whipping back around to watch the scene unfolding before us. Worried enough to not even react over the fact that I had my hands on him? _Yeah_ , I smirked, patting his sleeve before letting him go, _he'd already made up his mind to join us, whether he knows it or not_.

Luffy's skin stretched out from the impact of dozens of bullets before slinging them back the way they came, some hitting Krieg's armor and ricocheting to lodge into the floor and ceiling, while most soared past and through the wall.

"A Devil Fruit user," he breathed, looking more and more unbalanced as the events unfolded.

"Yup!" Luffy agreed cheerfully, grabbing hold of his cheek and stretching it out. "I'm a rubberman! So, your bullets really aren't going to work on me."

The other captain smirked suddenly, looking far more calm. "Do you really think guns are the only weapons I have at my disposal?"

Before he could prove just what kind of weapons he _did_ have, the door of the kitchen slammed open and everyone spun, the chef's jaws all hanging open as they caught sight of their owner who, so nonchalantly it was almost painful, walked by them each until he came to a stop before the Don. There, he swung the large burlap sack down off of his shoulder and placed it on the ground between them.

"A hundred meals," he announced, sounding bored. "For a hundred starving men. Take it and go." He waved a careless hand before turning around, sparing the rest of us barely a glance, even as his men began to cry out in protest.

"Owner Zeff!"

"Owner Zeff, you can't! They'll try to take over the restaurant as soon as they recover!"

"That's right!"

"That's only if they still have any fighting spirit left at all," he told them, voice grave as he stopped and finally looked at us, gaze pausing for a moment on my crewmates and I before coming to rest solidly on Krieg. "Isn't that right, defeated warriors of the Grand Line?"

"Zeff," the Don repeated, eyes wide before they narrowed in what looked like glee. "Red-Leg Zeff, a peerless captain and cook of his own pirate crew... So, you're alive."

"I am. What's it matter to you?" Zeff asked, crossing his arms. "As you can see, I'm living as a mere cook now."

"Not by choice, by the looks of it," he replied, sending a meaningful glance towards where a peg rested in place of the owner's leg. I wasn't the only one to stiffen in response. Sanji looked like he wanted to beat the shit out of the captain, simply for that single comment. "You can't wear your red shoes anymore, can you? Those dyed in the blood of your enemies. Though, I had heard you'd died in a ship wreck. But you survived, at the cost of one of your precious legs. Without them, you can't fight anymore, can you?"

"I might not be able to fight anymore," Zeff agreed easily, lifting his hands up, "but as long as I have two hands, I can cook. What are you trying to get at, exactly?"

Krieg grinned, puffing his chest out proudly. "Red-Leg Zeff, you've braved the waters of the Devil's Hideout, the Grand Line itself! You must have kept a log of your time there. Hand it over!"

"Really, old man?" Luffy asked excitedly, grinning. "You've been to the Grand Line before?"

"Yes," the owner answered curtly, anger finally edging its way into his tone. "And I did keep a log, one I still have to this day. But I won't ever give it to you. It's the pride of me and my men, who bravely ventured the Grand Line together. Someone like you isn't worthy enough for it!"

"Then I'll steal it!" The Don snarled, taking a threatening step forward. I could see his injured leg shake as more blood soaked into his pants and fought a smirk. Because of his tricks and armor, he probably wasn't used to being injured to such a degree. Combine the blood loss with the near-starvation he'd still be suffering from and I wouldn't be surprised if he was fighting to simply remain standing at this point. "I may have returned from there, defeated... but I am still the mighty Don Krieg! I had the man power, the ambition, to conquer that sea! The only thing I lacked was information! That was my only flaw! With your log and that girl's knowledge, along with this ship, I'll reassemble my pirate fleet and find One Piece to become the greatest pirate of this era!"

I scoffed and noticed Zeff do the same. Even using a log as your guide, it was unlikely to help much if you hadn't been able to make it past the entrance. Grand Line wasn't a place that could be so easily predicted, which was why it was so important to have a skilled navigator before even attempting to go to such a place. And if you had so much trouble at the entrance to Grand Line? The New World would eat you alive.

I said nothing, though, simply observing as Luffy took a step forward, glaring all the while.

"Hold on a minute! The one who's gonna become Pirate King is _me_!" He yelled, jabbing a finger at the other captain, his hand on one hip. I heard Zoro snicker beside me and raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"He looks like you," he informed me, arm resting casually over the hilts of his swords. "You stand like that when you get angry."

I blinked at him and then at my brother, taking in his stance once more and... I had to admit that he had a point. I knew I tended to place my hands on my hips when I was yelling, and Luffy was even leaning back slightly in the same way I did in an effort to make myself look a bit taller.

I sighed at him, ignoring the smug smirk on his face. "Yeah, yeah. Shut it."

"What did you just say, you brat?" Krieg demanded, sneering. "With a crew as small as the one you have? You've only got three crewmates!"

"Hey, I've got two more!" Luffy objected, offended, all the while ignoring Sanji's own annoyed grumbling at being included.

"Comments like that show just how ignorant you are!" He yelled back, vein in his forehead throbbing. "If there's one thing I hate, it's empty boasting like yours! I, Don Krieg, strongest in the East Blue with an entire armada under my command could only last seven days in that hell, all because of my lack of information! What hope could a scrawny kid like you have? Keep talking nonsense like that, and you'll be the first I kill after feeding my men!"

Mutters and cries of shock broke out around the room, no one quite knowing what to think over the fact that Krieg's entire fleet had apparently been decimated in a single week. The man himself ignored their words, reaching down to take a tight grip on the sack of food and hoist it over his shoulder. Once he was standing straight once more, he directed a savage grin towards the rest of us, though, from my viewpoint at least, it looked much more like a grimace of pain.

"You've got as long as it takes for me to feed my men to clear out of here if you want to live. All I need is this ship, Zeff's log and the girl. The rest of you are free to go," he informed us all, like he was bestowing upon us a great kindness. "If any of you still feel like dying after I've warned you then so be it. Once I come back, I'll send you to the bottom of the ocean myself."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stomped out, leaving a faint trail of blood in his wake. Silence descended after his departure, broken only by Gin's stifled cries as he tried to push himself back up to his knees. He kept his head bowed in shame but, even then, I could see the tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry..." He spoke, his voice raspy and choked with pain and emotion. His hand was still grasping his shoulder in a white-knuckled grip and, if I had to guess, I'd say that it was likely his collarbone that had been fractured. "I never meant for any of this to happen! Please... forgive me..."

"Not your fault, kid," Zeff's gruff voice reassured him, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "No need to apologize for it."

"Sir! How could you of all people side with them both for this?" Patty demanded as he stomped forward, a group of incensed chefs following after him. "Just what's the meaning of this?"

"That's right! Sanji's the one to blame for all this!"

"Yeah, he's trying to destroy the restaurant that means so much to you!"

Like a pack of rabid animals, they quickly turned to begin hurling insults and accusations towards the blond instead, who merely stood there with an unconcerned slouch and lit a cigarette. With each word that came, I could feel the anger within me building. What the hell was up with these guys?

"That's enough!" Zeff's shout cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter, leaving everyone silent and gaping as his usually blank face twisted with unmistakable anger. "Have any of you ever been hungry enough to die? Do you have any idea just how terrifying and painful it is to be stuck on this ocean with no food or water?"

"What..." Patty swallowed harshly, looking very unsure of himself all of a sudden. "Owner Zeff, what are you talking about?"

"If you've got time to cry over spilt milk," the owner continued on, not sparing the giant man a single glance, "then you can quietly go out the back door. Otherwise, quit your yammering."

The chefs bucked up immediately, taking up arms even as they grimaced and grumbled. But it was obvious in the fire in their eyes that they had no intention of letting this place go without a hell of a fight.

"What are you all doing?!" Gin cried out at them from where he still sat on his knees. His face was an image of absolute panic. "Haven't you realized how powerful the Don is by now? You need to run away!"

"He's not actually all that strong right now," I finally spoke up. While the cooks had been having their tiff, my crew and I had gone back to our seats where our food, now cold but still plenty edible, waited for us. Like hell I was about to let some jackass cause me to skip a perfectly good meal. "I can't really say how we'd rank against him at full power but now, as he is, he isn't a threat to us."

"Yeah, even now I can't really sense him that much," Luffy agreed, tearing into a hunk of meat with his teeth. Seeing my glare, he waited until he'd chewed and swallowed it before continuing. "He's gotten stronger since he ate but he's still pretty weak."

"Don't say that about my captain!" It seemed anger and offense had finally given Gin the energy he needed to get his feet under him, even if he swayed dangerously once he was standing. "He's a great man!"

"Listen, Gin," Sanji cut in when all I did was roll my eyes. He took a long drag from his smoke before letting it out slowly. "It's my duty as a cook to feed anyone who's starving. But the ones coming to attack this ship have been fed, so I'm free to deal with them however I want to. If someone comes to steal this ship, I'll kill that person without a second thought, even if it's you. Got that?"

Gin stared back at him, dumbfounded and at a clear loss for words.

"Shishishi, isn't he great?" Luffy asked Zoro and I, grinning widely.

"Yeah, whatever," the swordsman grumbled, but I could see that he was assessing our future cook with a more thorough eye. Where before he'd only seen the lovesick playboy, now he was getting to see some of his actual strength.

"He can be cool every now and then, I guess," I allowed, even as the smile on my face spoke of my approval. Then I sighed. "You probably wanna fight that guy yourself, huh, Captain?"

"That's right!" Luffy agreed, grin stretching to look much more animalistic. "If he thinks he's got what it takes to be the King, he's got to get through me first."

"Yeah, thought so," I grumbled. "I was really looking forward to beating him up, too. Like I'm some _thing_ he can just steal, what a load of shit."

"I'll punch him extra, extra hard," my brother promised solemnly. Whether I agreed or not, I could see that he planned on doing it regardless. Luffy had a certain set of protective urges, when it came to me and others that he cared about, and Krieg had pretty much stomped all over every single one of them. If it weren't for how annoyed I was, I might have felt sorry for the bastard.

As it was, I was kind of looking forward to watching him get his face beaten in.

Suddenly, I jolted, my entire body locking in place. Luffy glanced towards me, eyes narrowed in question, before his own body stiffened, surprised to the point that he _actually dropped the meat he'd been about to bite into._

Because there, just on the edge of our senses, was the most powerful aura I'd ever felt.

After we'd begun to learn Haki, our grandfather had started to hide his presence, not wanting to overwhelm us. Whoever this was wasn't bothering. Not that I could blame them. This was the East Blue, after all. Who here could possibly have enough skill to sense them? And what difference would it make regardless?

"What is it?" Zoro demanded, hand clenched around the hilt of his white blade, eyes darting about the room.

"A guy," I answered, voice soft. My brother's brow was furrowed, his eyes squeezed shut as he concentrated, and it was obvious he wouldn't be answering any time soon. "Powerful. Really powerful. He's..."

 _Bright as the fucking sun._

And he was moving towards us at a quick pace, though I could tell that he wasn't rushing. He felt decidedly laid-back, almost _bored_. And...sleepy?

Yeah, it was pretty obvious who this was.

As the one-man supernova sailed closer, I could feel the men inside of Krieg's galleon slowly regaining their strength. There were still plenty of men alive and kicking, though a few more had starved while their captain threw what amounted to a temper tantrum. And still, their numbers were bound to be cut - _ha_ , get it, _cut_? - down even further soon.

"Is he going to be a problem?" Zoro's voice's brought me out of my thoughts and I blinked at him, completely forgetting what it was we'd been talking about. He sighed, aggravated, and elaborated, "The man, the one you said is powerful, is he going to be a problem?"

"Oh, right," I gave my head a quick shake before focusing on him once again. "Probably not? As strong as he is, he's likely from the Grand Line. He's probably the one that attacked the Krieg Pirate's in the first place. He probably followed them, to finish the job."

I could see the realization begin to dawn on his face, as we both had a pretty good idea who it was that had chased the Krieg pirates back to this sea. He'd just gotten to his feet, expression one of fierce determination, when I felt the person's power - for lack of a better term - _sharpen_ before it was released.

"Shit!" My brother lunged forward, taking hold of his forgotten meal and stuffing it into his mouth as he jumped the table, wrapping an arm around Zoro and I before wrapping the other around the nearby stair railing.

"Brace yourselves!" I yelled over his shoulder at the shocked cooks. "Raise the anchor!"

They continued to stare like idiots for a long moment, the room having plunged into complete silence, before the sharp splitting of wood filled the air. In the next second, panic reigned. Shouts and screams rang out as Krieg's gigantic galleon splintered apart and began to plunge into the depths, the resulting waves nearly capsizing the Baratie as they began to hit us, sending tables careening.

"You heard her, raise the anchor!" Zeff yelled, pointed towards a random chef. "We're gonna get pulled under!"

"Our ship is out there!" Zoro yelled, struggling to untangle himself from Luffy's rubber limb, and I cursed because he was right. I was still operating under the impression that Nami had taken it like she had before when, thanks to me, that was no longer the case. Meaning Merry was bobbing about out there right now, smaller than the Baratie and in even greater danger of getting flipped over, all the while being completely unmanned.

As the same realization hit our captain, he unraveled his arm from around us immediately, a decidedly unhappy look on his face at the thought that our ship could be damaged. We ran in the opposite direction the cooks were gathering in, less concerned with what was going on with the Krieg pirates than we were of making sure of Merry's safety. Besides, it wasn't like I couldn't sense what was happening and, judging by his grimace, Luffy could, too.

Because as Krieg's ship sank further and further, dragging his men with it, we could both feel their auras blink out of existence. It wasn't the first time either of us had felt someone die - the first time I'd become physically ill and Luffy hadn't left my side for _days_ \- but that didn't make it any easier. Because one moment there was a person there, terrified and in pain and struggling to stay alive, and the next there was just nothing. A void.

Still, we continued to dash forward, because the members of his crew were not our responsibility.

The Going Merry was crashing about dangerously and I was glad Luffy was there to grab hold of us and sling us up onto the deck, as I wasn't sure I'd have been able to make it up otherwise. We wasted no time in dithering about, splitting up to carry out our various tasks. We hadn't had Merry long, true, and we hadn't had to deal with any major storms in the time we'd been sailing on her but that didn't mean Nami hadn't made sure we each knew what to do if it happened, as sometimes such things could be pretty sudden.

Zoro headed for the anchor while Lu and I went about securing the heavier things down, like the cannons. By the time we'd gotten everything settled, the water had calmed tremendously and we each took a moment to breathe out a sigh of relief. From the other side of the restaurant we could hear voices yelling out, some full of fear and others with anger.

"Shit's about to go down," I murmured as we all reconverged around Merry's figurehead. I bit my lip for a second, unsure of what to do now. Would the Merry be okay here on her own? There wouldn't be a big attack like the last one, at least there shouldn't be. But it wasn't a guarantee, was it? Nothing I knew was, not since I was changing things just by _being here_.

Glancing around, I knew there was no way Zoro was going to stay put. Even now, he looked barely able to stay in one place, his body trembling with the effort it took to not dart forward and away. Luffy looked just as ready to head out and see what was going on, his face filled with confliction. Because, while she might not be a person, Merry was a part of our crew and he didn't want to just leave her.

I could stay, I knew. But then who would fish Zoro out of the water after his defeat? There was no Usopp, Johnny or Yosaku to do it this time. Luffy couldn't. Would one of the cooks? Would Sanji? Could I really trust them to? And for all I knew, the fight might not even go the same. Something could go wrong.

Zoro could die.

I grit my teeth for a moment before taking a deep breath and forcing myself to relax. "Merry should be okay," I told them, focusing their attention on me. "I don't think there will be another big attack like that. It was meant to destroy that galleon, which it did. It should be fine to lower the anchor again."

Luffy nodded slowly, his eyes darting back to the voices on the other side of the Baratie before turning towards Zoro. He took in the swordsman's tight expression, his taught limbs and the way he was gripping his white sword near-desperately, and then nodded again, more decisively.

"Lower the anchor," he said, voice thick with command. "And then we'll go see what's going on."

Zoro gave a tight nod, looking as if he had to practically tear himself away to go complete his task. I could see that he wasn't happy with not being able to go immediately, worried that he may be too late and miss his chance. I was slightly surprised that he even followed Luffy's order at all, given how much I knew this meant to him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Luffy turned to me, face serious in the way it very rarely ever was. "Zoro's gonna fight that guy," he said. It wasn't a question but I still nodded. "It's his fight. We can't get involved."

And I knew how much that hurt him, how difficult it was going to be for him, because it was going to be the same for me. It was different than it was in canon. Because there, Luffy probably knew Mihawk was stronger but he didn't know _how much_. Even watching Zoro get soundly defeated the way he had, it still didn't really paint the picture of just how outclassed his swordsman really was. I even had the benefit of having witnessed more of his fights, of having seen how strong Zoro was after the two-year time skip and knowing he _still_ wasn't strong enough yet to beat the World's Greatest Swordsman.

And yet, it was nothing like feeling Mihawk's unrestrained aura, which made Zoro's look like a weakly flickering candle in comparison.

The topic of our discussion came back before I could say anything in response, looking even more tense than he had when he'd left, if such a thing was possible. The expression on his face was almost mutinous, as if daring our captain to keep him from his goal any longer. With barely a moment's hesitation, Luffy nodded.

"Let's go."

Together, the three of us hopped back onto the deck of the Baratie and made our way through the empty dinning room. Everyone else had gathered around and outside of the door, gawking in disbelief at the figure that was slowly gliding forward through the water. It wasn't hard to push our way through the crowd and, soon enough, we had a front row seat of the proceedings.

"Damn it!" One of Krieg's surviving members was yelling, looking hysterical. "What did we ever do to you? Why did you have to follow us all the way back here?!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked towards the bored-looking figure on the raft, waiting in bated breath for his answer. In that moment, I got my first good look at ' _Hawk Eyes_ ' Mihawk.

If it weren't for the oppressive aura that was permeating through the air, coming solidly from him, I wouldn't have found him to be very intimidating at all, despite the large sword strapped to his back and the way his eyes seemed able to pierce through to the very soul. While he had defined muscles, they weren't humongous, not in the way that Gramps' were. He was sitting on a throne-like chair, laid-back and unconcerned, looking not at all like he'd just disassembled a galleon with barely two swings of his blade. His fashion sense was questionable, in the way I'd found most were in this world. Though, I had to admit, his hat fit the part.

All in all, he looked more like he belonged in the Three Musketeers than he did here.

He finally looked up, baring his face for all to see, and flicked a disinterested glance at the man who'd shouted at him. His eyes, the most piercing gold I'd ever seen, moved away in a clearly dismissive gesture, instead sweeping over the rest of the survivors. "To kill time."

"That's bullshit!" The man drew out two pistols and aimed, firing shot after shot. And then had the audacity to look astonished when Mihawk drew his sword and, in a single fluid movement, deflected every single bullet. "I missed...?"

"No," Zoro answered from behind him, eyes focused entirely on the opposing swordsman, something _hungry_ in his face. I blinked, so focused on the Warlord that I hadn't even notice him move. "He deflected it. It'll be the same no matter how many times you shoot. He changed the trajectory of your bullets with the tip of his sword. I've never seen such graceful swordsmanship."

"A sword without grace is not a strong sword," Mihawk replied as he studied Zoro unblinkingly, sheathing his massive black blade as he did.

"And did you cut this ship with that sword?"

"Indeed, I did."

"You really are the strongest!" Zoro grinned animalistically, looking more excited and blood-thirsty than I'd ever seen him. "I set sail just to find you!"

Mihawk's eyes narrowed by a fraction, a slow tendril of intrigue snaking it's way through all of the indifference. "To what end?"

"To be the strongest!" Zoro declared, tying his black bandanna tightly over his hair. "If you've got time to kill, how about a duel?"

"Is this guy crazy?"

"He has three swords!"

"No way, is that Roronoa Zoro?!"

"Him?" Sanji's voice filtered out of the crowd, sounding disbelieving. I had half a mind to glance over at him but refrained. Even though the fight had yet to start I couldn't tear my eyes away, for fear that I'd look back only to find our swordsman dead.

"Pitiful weakling," Mihawk's voice rang out as he very calmly stood and, simple as breathing, stepped onto the floating remains of Krieg's ship, arms folded loosely over his chest. "If you were competent, you wouldn't need to cross blades with me to realize the gap in our power. And yet still you challenge me. Is it from bravery? Or stupidity?"

"It comes from my ambition," Zoro told him, slowly drawing Wado Ichimonji. He looked at the blade for a moment before placing it between his teeth. "And a promise to a fallen friend."

"I see," Hawk Eye's watched as Zoro drew his other two swords and fell into a practiced stance. "A waste, if you ask me." Slowly, with movements that showed just how unconcerned he was, he withdrew a small sheathed knife, smaller even then the throwing knives I have concealed within my jacket and clipped to my belt.

"And what," Zoro growled around the hilt of his sword, eyes narrowed, "are you planning to do with that?"

"I'm not the type of man who'd shoot a cannon at a small rabbit," he answered easily, holding up the knife so that it was on full display. "You may be of some renown here, but this is still the weakest of all the seas. Unfortunately, this is the smallest blade I have at the moment."

I winced as I heard the snarl rip from Zoro's throat. He couldn't feel what we did, not really. I was sure that, regardless of how it may look, he had to know that he was outmatched. But he had no idea just how wide that gap was. And, after so many easy wins so far, he'd probably gotten pretty confident in himself. Which wasn't terrible, since he was fairly strong, but... Well, I'd said it before, hadn't I? Getting cocky was a good way to get dead.

Maybe after all of this, he'd finally actually listen to me.

If he didn't die here, of course.

My gaze sharpened as Zoro charged forward, full of wounded pride, and Mihawk berated him with the voice of a teacher scolding a small child. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, chef and pirate alike, as Zoro called out his attack and swung his blades only to be halted with the clang of metal against metal. Zoro stood, shaking with the effort to move, but Mihawk wasn't budging, holding all three blades in place effortlessly with his tiny little dagger.

It shouldn't have been possible. There should have been absolutely no way for such a thing to happen, for such a thing to rend Zoro - the guy that could lift Merry's anchor barehanded without even breaking a sweat - completely immobile.

And yet.

"Zoro?" Luffy's voice asked to my left, sounding oh-so-very confused. As if he could hear him, the green-haired man reared back in that moment, breaking away and charging forward once more, swinging his blades about only to be rebuffed again and again. I could feel his frustration rise as he failed to land a hit, to even force the man before him to move an inch from his spot. His slashes were growing careless, his expression turning almost manic as he was knocked down and bolted back up.

Whispers were breaking out, full of disbelief. The name Roronoa Zoro was pretty much infamous in the East Blue, the man known as the Demon Pirate Hunter who could strike fear in many a heart. It was well-known that he was one of the strongest people in this sea and yet here he was, losing horribly to a man who didn't even look to be trying.

"Such ferocity," Mihawk commented as a barrage was unleashed upon him. "What burdens you so? What do you still desire, at the extent of your strength, weakling?"

As Zoro was knocked down and away once more, I could see Luffy grip the railing out of the corner of my eye. He was trembling with the effort to hold back, to not jump forward and interfere, no matter how badly he wanted to.

"This is Zoro's fight," I reminded him softly. He swallowed, nodding woodenly.

"I know," he grit out. "That's why I -"

Zoro charged forward once more with reckless abandon only for his opponent to break through his guard, easily reaching passed his blades, and then...

Blood.

My hand darted out to clutch at Luffy's arm, both to hold him back and to keep myself in place. The other fell to rest on the hilt of my Jambiya, clutching it as if I were about to draw it, if only for the comfort of having it in my hand. Because that... that was a lot of blood, soaking his shirt front and dripping to the ground as the dagger embedded itself in our crewmate's chest.

Mihawk quirked a brow as Zoro continued to stand there, unmoving. "Do you wish for me to pierce your heart? Why do you not step back?"

"I don't know," Zoro admitted, sounding almost dazed. "It just feels as if... if I take even one step away, I'll lose something important. And I'll never find myself here in this place ever again."

"Yes," Mihawk agreed, sounding almost amused. "That's called defeat."

"Then I can't step back." I got the feeling that, if there hadn't been a knife in his chest, he probably would have shrugged.

"Even if it means your death?" The Hawk Eyes tilted his head, as if observing our crewmate in a much different light, especially when he grit his teeth and stared straight back in unwavering determination.

"I'd much rather die."

I shuddered at the thought as, beside me, Luffy's teeth began to grind. There wasn't anything we could do. Even if I thought it was stupid, even if I thought it was completely and utterly idiotic, I would not move. Not until this fight was over, one way or the other. Because my brother might have been the one to make the promise that he wouldn't interfere with Zoro's dream but, as my captain, that promise also carried over to me.

All I could do was hope and pray that Zoro would survive this.

"Kid..." Mihawk stepped away, resheathing his small, blood-encrusted dagger as he went. "What is your name?"

"Roronoa Zoro," our swordsman proclaimed, hefting his blades in a windmill pattern and squaring his stance, seemingly unconcerned with the blood still soaking his shirt but for the fainest of trembles.

"I will remember it." With that promise, he reached back to draw out the large sword strapped to his back, the very one that had just sliced a _galleon_ in _half,_ and I felt anxiety bubble up within my chest. "For your strength is not oft seen in this world. And to pay my respects, I will end this dual with Yoru, the world's strongest sword."

They charged forward together, Zoro's swords spinning as he went, and the railing cracked under the white-knuckled grip my brother and I were both applying on it. We knew, before their blades even clashed, what was about to happen. Could see it, even if the attack wasn't aimed at us.

And so it came as no surprise when two of Zoro's blades shattered on impact, blood spurting from the new slice on his chest whereas Mihawk remained standing, completely unharmed.

What did come as a surprise, at least for those without foresight, was when Zoro calmly sheathed his remaining, beloved blade and stood, turning to face his fate with arms spread wide, even as Mihawk's arm drew back to deliver the final blow.

"Wounds on a back is a swordsman's shame," Zoro grinned, as if he weren't about to get cut cleanly in half.

"Splendid!" And truly, Hawk Eyes sounded genuinely pleased even as he swung, his blade cutting through Zoro's chest like a hot knife through butter.

" _ZORO!_ "

I launched myself into the water before he'd even started to fall, swimming forward through debris as quickly as I could. Although there was no fire, I couldn't help but be reminded of a similar swim I'd made ten years earlier, desperate to reach my brother's side before it was too late. And here I was again, panicked and desperate, praying that it wasn't too late, that events weren't too different. That Mihawk had once again taken a liking to Zoro, had decided to spare his life.

I honestly didn't know what I would do, otherwise.

I saw the blood before I saw him, drifting down in a veritable cloud of the stuff. Kicking as hard as I could, I reached his side in seconds, keeping my eyes peeled for any lumber that could fall on us. I'd learned that lesson the last time and, this time, there would be no Revolutionaries to fish me out. Taking a tight hold on his shirt, I yanked him up with me, struggling against the water resistance and his dead weight to reach the surface. He appeared to be unconscious, which wasn't good, as it likely meant he'd already taken in a bit of water.

Breaking out into air once more, I wasted no time in beating a hand on his back, even as I did my best to keep the both of us afloat.

"Come on, you idiot!" I called frantically because he wasn't breathing, _he wasn't breathing_. "Zoro! Come on!"

A harsh cough, a rush of expelled water and blood against my shoulder, and I could've wept in relief.

"Zoro!" Luffy's voice yelled, sounding as relieved as I felt. "Lily! Sanji!"

I blinked as another pair of arms appeared, hefting Zoro's other side off of me, and was met with Sanji's scowling face. Though, to be fair, the scowl was completely directed at our swordsman.

"You idiot!" He was muttering. "You should've known this was going to happen! It would have been better to just give up your ambition! And to make Lily-chan go through all this effort, too!"

Regardless of how angry he sounded, the blond still helped me lug Zoro back over to the Baratie, where various chefs were waiting to lift him and us back onto the deck. As soon as we were back on solid ground, more or less, I wasted no time on ripping open what was left of his shirt and getting my first look at the wound that waited underneath.

It wasn't pretty, to say the least.

Not only was there a gigantic slice from shoulder to hip, there was one a bit diagonal as well, starting just above the bellybutton and continuing across to right below his right pectoral. Not to mention the _stab wound_ right in the middle of his chest.

A mound of white fabric - a chef's jacket, _doesn't matter_ \- was shoved at me before I could even ask for something and I pressed it down to his chest firmly, desperate to lessen some of the blood flow that was already puddling around us.

"Lily!" Luffy's voice filtered through the static that had filled my head. It wasn't until that moment that I realized I'd been blocking out all other sounds, even the shouts of the men gathered around me. "Is Zoro okay?"

"No!" I yelled back, because of course he wasn't. Couldn't my brother see all of the blood? "But... But he'll live!"

That wasn't a promise I should so easily make, what with the way my skin was slicked with his blood all the way up to my elbows, but there wasn't anything else I could say. Zoro had to survive. There wasn't any other option.

Speaking of, Zoro's breath stuttered for a moment, causing ice to fill my veins before I realized that it was him gaining lucidity for a moment. He used his newfound awareness to tighten the grip he'd kept on his sole remaining sword, lifting it straight above him into the air.

"Luffy..." He huffed, panting with exertion. "Can you... hear me?"

"Yeah!" Luffy called back immediately, sounding ready to jump back here immediately if he had to.

"S-Sorry... for worrying... you..." His lip wobbled alarmingly, his eyes becoming glassy with more than just blood loss. "I know... that if I d-don't become... the world's greatest swordsman... it'll o-only b-be an em-barrassment to y-you..."

He coughed, hacking up a glob of blood and cringing horrifically in the aftermath.

"Stop talking, already!" I commanded, pressing down harder as the jacket in my hands began to become soaked through. "Just let me take care of you, okay?"

"I swear!" He yelled out, ignoring me, and I froze as tears began to stream freely down his face. He'd clamped his other hand to his forehead in an effort to hide the sight from onlooking eyes but it was useless, his voice shaking with emotion the way that it was. "I will never lose again! Until the day that I fight him and win, _I will never lose again_!" He drew in a deep breath and then asked, growing steadily weaker with every word, "Any problems, Pirate King?"

"Shishishi, nope!" Luffy replied easily, satisfied relief flowing off of him in waves.

Assured, Zoro lost whatever energy he'd been using up until this point, letting his arm drop back to the deck, blade clattering loudly against the wood. I spared a moment to glare up at the crowd that had gathered around us, daring them to say a single thing about the show of emotion they'd just witnessed. Seeing them stare back with appropriate terror, probably helped with the fact that I was _covered in blood_ , I turned my full attention back to the crewmate bleeding out below my hands. Mihawk was leaving, my brother could handle Krieg and his cronies; Zoro was my responsibility.

"I need a first aide kit," I demanded, not caring who was listening so long as somebody was. This was a restaurant, right? Accidents were sure to happen, most involving either burns or cuts. Sure, they probably weren't anywhere near as bad as this, but still. Stitches were likely an common occurrence. It wasn't like they could just hop in a car and drive to a hospital. Someone around here had to have experience. Right? "This needs stitching. Can any of you...?"

But another glance up was answer enough. Each man was avoiding eye contact, shuffling their feet in shame.

"You're all cooks, right? How can _none of you_ know how to deal with cuts?" I demanded.

"Most of us just wrap 'em up," one of them admitted. "If it's that bad, there's a Doc that eats here pretty often. We wait til the next time he comes 'round and give him a discount."

"Do you at least have a suturing kit?" I asked, voice becoming clipped in an effort not to scream.

"Yeah!" The guy brightened immediately. "He leaves a kit here so that he always has materials on hand!"

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. This was okay. This was fine. Growing up with Ace and Luffy, I had plenty of experience taking care of wounds, right? Maybe not to this extent - _definitely_ not to this extent - but it wasn't like I was clueless. Even though Magra was usually the one to take care of the larger injuries, I'd still picked up a thing or two.

So, what did I need? _Think, dammit_ , I chided myself, gritting my teeth. _Think!_

"I need something to clean the wound with," I spoke slowly. This wasn't the time to dillydally, but Zoro would be much better off if I took the time to get things right rather than rushing and screwing things up. "I need... water, mixed with a small amount of salt." Did I really, though? He'd just been dunked into the ocean, which was full of plenty of salt water. Still, better safe than sorry. "Um... alcohol, I think? It has to be strong, otherwise it won't work." _What else, what else?_ "I'm going to need a lot of gauze and bandages. Tape, if you have it. And the suture kit, definitely gonna need that."

After a moment of silence, I glanced up, barking out a, "Move, dammit!" as I did so. The men all scurried, tripping over themselves as they got to work carrying out my order. With that done, I turned to meet Sanji's eyes. He was staring back steadily, none of the love-sickness present as he met my gaze.

"I know Zeff and this restaurant are your number one priority right now," I told him, voice low. "But while I'm doing this, I'm going to need to have my full attention on him. Meaning that I won't see an attack coming. Can I trust you to watch my back?"

"Of course," he agreed immediately, pulling a pack of smokes from his pocket. He grimaced when he noticed they were soaked through after the plunge he'd taken minutes before. "Any man that would attack a defenseless lady is going to get my foot right in their face."

"Thank you." I glanced back towards Zoro's slack face and grit my teeth, hating having to see him like this. Hating the fact that, right now, he was practically a sitting duck. "Really, thank you."

"I don't understand." I glanced up at hearing the frustration in his voice only to find that he was glaring at down at Zoro. "Why would he be so reckless? He almost died, and for what? His dream? _Ambition_? How stupid."

"Maybe a little," I allowed, even if my first instinct was to snap at him in my crewmate's defense. "But the same could be said for you, couldn't it? Being willing to fight for this restaurant."

"That's different," he argued. "I'm protecting the old geezer's treasure, not just fighting for myself."

"Zoro's trying to protect something, too, you know." Seeing the incomprehension on the blond's face I sighed. "Nobody fights that hard, embraces death like that, if they're fighting only for themselves. It might not be something physical but that doesn't make what he's fighting for worth any less. Speaking of," I jerked my head to the side, in the direction I could hear Krieg yelling from, ordering what men he had left to charge, "you'd best get to fighting, yourself. Won't be much left to protect if you don't."

He nodded, standing is one graceful movement before stepping around Zoro and I, heading towards where the opposing pirates were attacking from. I noticed, though, that he never moved farther than a few steps away from my back, always close enough to charge back if he had to. Satisfied, I turned all of my attention back towards the injury beneath my hands.

The jacket had soaked through, a dark red at the bottom that faded into a dull pink, but it didn't seem to be gushing the way it had been before. Cautiously, I lifted the fabric, not wanting to hold it long enough to dry to the skin, and inspected what was underneath.

As impossible as it seemed, the wound actually looked worse, though I knew that was only because of the blood encrusted around it and the way the skin was inflamed and irritated. I bent down, forcing myself to take a close look inside, ignoring the queasy protestations of my stomach all the while. Both cuts were precise and straight, though I supposed that shouldn't have been a surprise. Mihawk was a master, after all; he wasn't the type to cut something unless he meant to. And he'd clearly meant for these slices to be clean, regardless of their severity.

Still, the skin was left flapping where his blade had torn through. And I didn't know how clean his blade had been, meaning that it was pretty likely that bacteria had already gotten into the wound.

I barely even noticed it when a medical kit was practically thrown down at my side, a jug of water and bottle of what looked like vodka following it, the cooks that had carried them out rushing to join the fight taking place behind me. Instead, I reached out for the alcohol first, splashing it onto the hands and scrubbing them as thoroughly as I could, before taking out the instruments I would need to use and soaking them as well. Then I took up the water jug and began pouring it onto the wound, poking lightly here and there with a finger in order to make sure it was as clean as I could make it.

And then I took a deep breath and reached for the alcohol once more. Only this time, it was poured into the wound instead. Beneath my hands, Zoro's body began to twitch as if trying to escape me, his face twisting even as he stayed solidly unconscious. Still, I whispered apologies and reassurances to him, trying as hard as I could to hurry even as I was determined to do this as right. Once there was less than half of the bottle left I deemed it sufficient, making quick work of recapping the bottle and shoving it out my way.

Next came the hard part.

I'd never actually stitched any wounds before, although I'd seen it done a few times. But it was one thing to have seen it and another to do it. Still, it wasn't like there was much choice at the moment. It was either buck up and get to it or sit here and shake in my boots while my crewmate bled to death.

Yeah, the choice there was pretty obvious.

Stealing myself, I threaded the curved needle, picked up the hemostat clamp, and got to work.

It was definitely a long and arduous process. Both lacerations were fairly large, though one was obviously much larger than the other, which meant that they required quite a number of stitches in order for them to be sufficiently closed. I had to make sure the stitches were tight, so as not to be useless, but also loose enough that an errant twitch wouldn't rip them out.

All in all, I have no idea just how long it took me to close up his wounds, rinsing them down once more when I was done before slathering them in medicine and wrapping them tightly with bandages. By the time I was done and looked up, I found the area around me a veritable war zone. The cooks and pirates were fighting each other with a frantic kind of tenacity, one side to protect their home and the other to appease their captain. Sanji, as promised, was still stationed near me, though looking far more worse for wear. The reason became apparent when he broke off from one fight to halt an advancing pirate, leaving his side wide open to attack as he did so.

Looking a bit farther, I could see Luffy hopping about the floating remains of Krieg's galleon, dodging about spikes and other projectiles as he went. He looked smudged and sooty but uninjured. He did, however, look thoroughly annoyed with Krieg's tricks and cheats.

Taking in the fight around me, I considered my options. I couldn't just leave Zoro here unprotected. At the same time, it felt wrong to sit on the sidelines when I was capable of fighting, especially when it meant Sanji getting injured to protect me the way that he was. So, what could I do?

As my eyes landed on a gaggle of injured chefs standing off to the side to catch their breath, the answer seemed fairly simple.

"You!" I called out, making them jump as I thrust a bloody finger in their direction. Once I had their attention, I beckoned them over impatiently, causing them to scurry over to see what it was I wanted. Honestly, if I knew it was this easy to get people to actually listen to me, I would've covered myself in blood a long time ago.

Eh, then again... maybe not.

"Take him inside the restaurant," I commanded once they were close enough to hear. Seeing the objections building behind their eyes, I glared. "No! Not up for debate! You're all injured and pretty much useless at this point. So, to make yourselves less useless, you're going to take my crewmate into the dining room. You're going to close and barricade the door behind you and you're going to protect him if you need to. You're going to be the last line of defense. And while you're doing that, someone who's less useless is going to take your place out here: me."

"We can't just -"

"We have to -"

"If we go now, they'll -"

" _Go!_ " I snapped, causing each of them to flinch. With obvious reluctance, they lifted Zoro between the three of them and carried him passed the fighting and into the restaurant. After a moment, the doors slammed shut.

That taken care of, I stretched my back quickly, took a deep breath, and jumped into the fray, losing myself in an entirely different way then I had before.

This, I was used to. This was like a dance, one I'd learned when I was younger, one of punches and kicks and blades, turning and ducking and swinging. Flash of pain as a blade nicked my arm, retaliation by way of a solid kick to the chest, splash as they hit the water behind them, turn to block the blow of the next opponent. I weaved my way through the crowd steadily, not staying in one single place for too long. My knife cut through tendons and impaled joints, dropping men quickly as my free hand reached out to press down on pressure points and to block hits. I stopped the swing of a sword as it traveled downward towards my head, kneeing the owner in the gut and, as they leaned forward to gasp for their lost breath, I lifted my leg over his head and using the momentum to follow with the other, wrapping both around his neck and twisting my body, catching the ground with my hands and flipping him over me, sending him crashing into a group of his crewmates. All of them barreled over each other and fell into the sea.

I didn't waste any time in moving onto the next target. They seemed never ending, even though I knew better. My senses attuned as they were, I could feel the opposing number steadily dropping. What had originally been almost a hundred men had decreased to the point where there were now only about twenty. The chefs, meanwhile, had taken very little loses, the most of which were the ones now ensconced within the very restaurant they were fighting to protect.

So engrossed was I that it took me a moment to realize that most of the pirates that were still conscious were making their way into the water because, apparently, the section of deck that had unfolded was _currently on fire_. My first instinct, I was ashamed to admit, was to run. To just say ' _fuck it_ ' and get the hell out of there because I'd been on a burning ship once and that had been one time too many for me, thanks. The logic side of my brain was quick to jump forward and beat that part of me into submission, though, thankfully, especially when it noticed that, in the center of it all, stood Luffy. Because where the hell else would he be?

Now that my back no longer needed watching, Sanji had joined the fight with enthusiasm and now stood at my brother's side, both of them facing off against a large man who appeared to be covered in metal plates and was currently on fire and screaming. Though not, surprisingly, because he was on fire, but rather because he felt that both men before him were dangerous. Listening to his crewmates try desperately to calm him, I learned that he'd apparently grown up in a jungle where, whenever he felt threatened, he would light a fire to scare beasts away.

I scoffed. Lu and I had grown up in a jungle, too, and we didn't act like complete lunatics. Well, most of the time. _Well_ , not to the point where we set ourselves on fire, at least.

Taking out those that stood closest to me, I carried on, utilizing their distraction. Whoever the pyro was, my brother and Sanji could handle it, I told myself, trying hard to ignore the guilt wiggling about in my head. Unconcerned as he may look, feelings didn't lie and Luffy was definitely not happy about being surrounded by fire the way that he was. Still, he was handling it a whole hell of a lot better than I could've.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Zeff standing guard before the closed doors of the restaurant and hesitated, almost getting my head chopped off in the process. I cursed, delivering a sharp jab at the man's open rib cage and, when he took hold of my jacket collar to keep himself standing, I drove a fist straight into his radial nerve and he dropped like a ton of bricks. Didn't something happen to Zeff during all this? And Gin?

Taking a look around, relying on my Haki to keep me ahead of any incoming attacks, I searched out the sickly-looking pirate only to find him making his way to the head chef, face shadowed and pistol held tightly in one hand. I cursed again, this time with feeling, and kicked out at the guy trying to sneak up behind me, twisting about midair and taking off as soon as my feet touched ground once more.

I knew I wouldn't make it in time, not as far off as I was with so many opponents still between me and them, but it didn't make it any easier to watch as the old man was forced to the ground, his peg leg snapped in half as the gun was leveled at his head.

"Please stop fighting, Sanji," Gin requested as he placed a foot firmly on the owner's back. "I don't want to have to kill you."

"Gin." Even from here, I could see the way the blond grit his teeth. Beside him, Luffy looked as if he couldn't believe the guy we'd talked with just a few days ago would sink so low as to do something like this.

"He might've been great once, but he's just a cook now." Gin sighed even as his aim remained steady. "You want to save him, right? Then leave this ship!"

"Leave?" Sanji demanded, looking pissed. "As if!"

I ignored the ensuing yelling match between the owner and our future cook, wincing as the man they'd been fighting before reentered the picture and began attacking Sanji with abandon, secure in the knowledge that he couldn't fight back while they had a hostage. Which was true, as Sanji didn't lift a finger - or toe, as it were - to protect himself, merely got up again and again to receive a beating, refusing to quit even when he couldn't retaliate. Because this ship was important to Zeff and Zeff had given everything for him and, even if it killed him, he wouldn't let the old man lose anything else.

While he yelled and bled and got beaten ruthlessly, I weaved my way through the masses. I drew my aura in, sharpening it down to a pinpoint in order to make myself less noticeable. This wasn't about fighting anymore, though I did slice through available nerves and tendons as I went. This was about sneaking my way towards Gin, so that I could take him out quickly and painlessly, so that Sanji could start fighting once more.

I had just reached their side when I felt my brother's impatience reach a breaking point and sighed, knowing that whatever he was about to do, he'd probably be the only one who'd like it. Sure enough, his foot shot straight into the air before he slung it back down, shattering the deck around himself.

I got the feeling that, as the flames were doused and he grinned in satisfaction, putting out the fire may have been one of his primary objectives with that move. Not that I could entirely blame him, since I let out a big breath of relief myself and I hadn't even been standing near them.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Sanji yelled, jumping to his feet and grabbing at the scruff of Luffy's shirt, giving him a firm shake as he did so. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm sinking this ship," my brother answered easily. "That way, all of their plans will be ruined."

Sanji glared at him. "You have no idea what this restaurant means to me, or the gravity of my debt!"

"So, what, you're just gonna die here? What are you, stupid?"

"What?!"

"You won't be repaying any debt by dying!" Luffy yelled, suddenly looking enraged, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: Shanks sacrificing his arm so that Luffy could live. "That's not what he saved you for! To throw away your life and die like this after being saved... That's what a weakling does!"

I couldn't help but smile, full of fondness for my brother who was trying so very hard to get through to the blond chef in front of him. But, still, it wouldn't mean much if Gin still had his hostage, especially with Krieg yelling orders for him to just shoot the man in the head already.

"I think not," I commented, voice bland. Gin spun, his pistol automatically swiveling around to aim at me instead, which was just what I had wanted. I ducked under, twisting to grab his outstretched arm while planting my back against his chest. And then, with a heave, I flipped him over me, sending him crashing to what was left of the deck. His gun, which he released on the way down, was not so lucky and skittered off the side and into the water with a splash.

"There, see!" Luffy crowed, pleased. "Things worked out pretty well!"

"You liar! Your plan was to destroy the ship!"

"No, his plan was to put out the fire," I informed the enraged Sanji, who calmed instantly at the sound of my voice. Giant flirt or not, it was nice to know that at least one member of the crew was bound to listen to me when I talked. "He knew I was sneaking up on Gin, so he was also being a bit flashy."

"Shishishi, yep!" Lu agreed, grinning at me. "Lili's so cool, she's just like a ninja!"

"Well, I did take my lessons seriously," I joked, referring to our pickpocketing lessons, and he pouted at me in response. He'd tried, he really had, but sneaking about was just not in his nature. "Now that I have this guy taken care of, finish this fight already, would you? The sooner this is done, the sooner we can pack Sanji up and get out of here and the sooner Zoro gets to medical attention. As much as you seem to think I can do anything, I am not, in fact, a doctor."

Luffy nodded, sobering instantly at the reminder of our injured crewmate. Ignoring Sanji's indignant squawking, he left the cook to finish off the giant shield guy, hopping over the bits of leftover galleon to make his way towards Krieg instead.

"You need to leave," Gin spoke from below me and, glancing down, I found him barely holding in tears. "You and Sanji, and everyone else, you need to run or you'll all be dead."

I sighed, plopping down to sit beside him. I rested my knife against his throat, though it was more for show than anything at this point, given the way he'd gone limp and his aura was streaked through with hopelessness. Still, better to be safe. "You're still assuming we'll lose."

"Of course you will," he scoffed. "The Don is the greatest pirate on this sea. He can't be beaten."

"I'm pretty sure he already was, by Mihawk," I pointed out wryly. Gin glared at me in response, though it was lacking in true anger.

"That man was a monster. He defeated your crewmate as well."

"True," I shrugged, plopping my chin on my free hand and scanning the fight. Sanji was moving stiffly thanks to the injuries he'd already sustained but, still, it was obvious that his opponent wouldn't hold out against him for much longer. Lu, meanwhile, was back to looking thoroughly annoyed as he dodged around Krieg's spiked weapons, forced to move from perch to precarious perch. I could see Krieg growing frustrated himself, though, as he continued to fail to land a hit. Hopefully that meant he'd lose his temper soon and make a mistake so that we could be done with this already. "Still, you'd think something like that would make you realize that your captain is not, in fact, unbeatable."

"And you think yours is?" He snapped.

"Oh, of course I don't." I laughed when his eyes bulged at me, thrown of by my easy admittance. "I've been with him since the start, literally. I've seen him fall down time and time again, get beaten and battered and nearly broken, only to continue standing. He can be beaten, he can lose, but he won't. Do you know why?" Gin shook his head mutely and I smiled kindly down at him. "Because he has us. He's not just fighting for himself out there, he's fighting for his crew as well. Tell me, is Don Krieg fighting for you right now? Is he fighting for any other member of your crew? Or is he fighting for himself?"

He was quiet for a long moment after that and I left him to his thoughts, taking the moment to check on the battle once more. Sanji had won his fight and was currently sitting beside his mentor and fellow chefs, panting and gasping and holding tightly onto his abdomen. The way that guy had been wailing on him earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if most, if not all, of his ribs were either broken or cracked. Following his line of sight, I looked towards my brother's fight, only to find him covered in cuts, likely from the shuriken embedded in the timber around him.

"You idiot!" I yelled, causing him, and many others around me, to jump. "You know that guy's full of tricks! Pay attention to what he's doing!"

"Yeah, he really got me good," Luffy admitted, rubbing his head sheepishly.

I scoffed at him. "What's the use of having Observation if you're not gonna use it?"

"Hey! It's not so easy when it's with flying weapons!"

"So? That's no excuse! You should've had this guy beaten forever ago! Instead you're covered in blood while he's over there, completely fine! _I've_ landed more hits on him than you have! Weren't you supposed to punch him extra hard for me?"

"I'm working on it!" He yelled indignantly, sticking his tongue out at me. I, being the mature adult that I was, stuck my tongue out right back at him.

"Work harder!"

"Tch!" He spun back around to face his opponent, pointedly ignoring me. He made a show of cracking his knuckles - which, how did he manage that? He was rubber, wasn't he? His bones shouldn't crack - before falling back into a ready stance. "Alright, let's do this."

Satisfied that he'd been appropriately psyched up, I turned my attention back to the man laying before me only to find him gazing back at me in what could only be astonishment. I frowned, "What?"

"You... get away with talking to your captain that way?" He asked, disbelieving.

I snorted at him. "Well, sure. Our crew's a bit unorthodox, I know. But, hey, it works. Besides, that wasn't so much me telling him off as it was firing him up. See?" I pointed towards the ongoing fight, where Luffy had managed to get closer to Krieg than he had this entire time. "I told you, he fights for himself but he also fights for us. We make him stronger."

He remained quiet, though I could easily read his emotions. He was unsure; on one side, he wanted to be loyal to his captain, the man that he'd followed and fought for for so long; on the other, his answer to my earlier questions wouldn't be all that flattering. Krieg fought for no one but himself. He didn't care about his crew, they were merely a number to buoy him along and intimidate his opponents. To him, they were disposable, even Gin himself. I sighed as he was consumed by conflict.

"Look, all I know of Krieg is what I've heard and what I've seen here today. Maybe with the rest of you, he's different. Or maybe he did something when you met him that caused you to pledge your loyalty to him so deeply. But to me? Here and now? He's not a good man, even by a pirate's standards. He's not strong on his own merits, using hidden weapons and underhanded tactics to win. And he doesn't seem to care for the rest of you at all. He's just lost the majority of his crew and, instead of regrouping and allowing the rest of you to recover, he's dumped you all right into the middle of a fight. All so that he can drag you back to he place you narrowly escaped from, so that he can claim his so-called glory." I shook my head at him. "Even if he were to somehow win here, you guys wouldn't make it. Logbook or not. Even if, by some miracle, he managed to drag me along, too. Having information on the Grand Line is pretty much next to useless. You need experience and instinct, not useless numbers and weak followers."

"He's a great man," Gin insisted. "He is."

"Okay," I agreed, leaning over him in order to stare straight into his eyes. "Why?"

"Because..." He swallowed harshly, gritting his teeth. "I've always been thought of as cold-blooded. That's why they call me a demon, because I can fight and kill and not feel a thing. And everyone... I terrified them because I could detach myself like that. But the Don, he didn't look at me and see a freak, he saw something useful. They way I could fight, the way I could carry out my orders, it made me worth something instead of just being a killer. And so I would win, no matter what I had to do, for my captain."

"I see," I let out a slow breath. "You're not an emotionless guy. When Sanji brought you that food, you cried. And this whole time, you've been reluctant to fight us, because you're grateful to us. That's why you've been begging us to run. So, you know what I think? I think you're no demon at all. In fact, I think you're actually very kind."

He gaped up at me incredulously. "I just told you I could kill without feeling a thing! Crying, begging, it means nothing! If I'm ordered to kill, I do!"

"Then why is Zeff not dead?" I asked. "Sanji? Luffy? _Me_?" I tapped the flat of my blade against his skin. "We both know that if you truly wanted to hurt me, this knife wouldn't be stopping you. You're not heartless, Gin. You're compartmentalizing in order to do what you feel needs to be done. You might be able to calmly kill a man in the heat of the moment but what about later? In your dreams? In the quiet moments when there's no one around to pretend for? Are you emotionless then? Because I have a feeling those circles under your eyes are there from more than just near-starvation."

He grimaced, which was answer enough for me.

"You're protecting yourself," I told him. "It's your mind's way of coping, detaching itself from the action until you can process it later. It doesn't make you a freak or a cold-blooded killer. And, believe it or not, Krieg is not the only man that would accept someone like you into their crew. You don't have to give a man like him your loyalty. Because I promise you, he is not worth it."

" _That's it!_ " Krieg's voice rang out, cutting off whatever it was Gin was about to say. We both glanced up to find that he was now sporting a bloody nose and looked decidedly unhappy about it. Luffy, meanwhile, was looking pleased at finally having gotten close enough to land a hit. "I've had enough of this incompetence! This ends now!"

He hefted up his large shield while his free hand grasped something that looked like... a mask?

"MH5!" Gin gasped bellow me, his hands scrambling for a similar looking mask that was clipped to his belt. All around us, his fellow crewmates began shouting in surprise, rushing to don their own masks, yelling about poison gas all the while.

"Poison?" I demanded, darting my eyes around before cursing. All of Krieg's pirates had dived into the water during Sanji's fight, meaning that most of them were now out of reach. Thinking fast, I turned towards where the chefs had gathered by the doors of the restaurant to watch the ongoing fight between captains. "You guys! Get inside or dive into the water, now!" Not waiting to see if they followed my commands, I turned back towards my brother. "Luffy! Steal one of their masks!"

"Right!"

"Fools! It's too late for that!" Krieg yelled, grinning near-manically. "You're all going to die here! Lethal poison gas bomb! MH5!"

Mentally scoffing at such a ridiculous and unnecessarily long name, I darted my gaze about even as a projectile shot out of his shield heading straight towards the Baratie. The doors slammed shut behind the cooks just as it hit and I could only hope that they could make it to the back of the ship in time before it began seeping inside. Luffy had made quick work of stealing a mask and had settled himself down on a broken piece of deck to wait it out.

Gin, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to force his mask onto me. I rolled my eyes, muttering an 'idiot' while I still could before sucking in a deep breath and closing my eyes, pushing the mask firmly onto the pirate's face as I did. Concentrating, I covered my arm up to the elbow in Armament Hardening just to be safe, so that no amount of fighting would cause me to let go. Thinking of it, this situation was actually pretty ironic, wasn't it? Seeing as how, last time, Gin had done much the same to Sanji? Only difference was I hadn't resigned myself to death because _fuck that._

Instead, I waited, counting the seconds as they passed. Gin's fighting slowed after the third minute, his aura consumed be regret and self-recrimination, likely thinking that he'd been the inadvertent cause of the death of one of his saviors. Krieg himself was feeling pleased, probably thinking that he'd managed to kill off what was left of his opposition with this move. Luffy and the cooks, meanwhile, felt mostly annoyed at such an underhanded tactic and impatient for it to pass.

The impatience I could definitely relate to, sitting in the dark and holding my breath as I was. At about four and half minutes I could feel my lungs begin to burn uncomfortably but ignored it with ease, keeping my eyes clamped shut tightly. I wasn't sure if this was the type of poison that would affect my eyes, but I wasn't about to risk it. There had to be a reason their masks covered their entire face, right?

"Lily!" I tilted my head at my brother's yell as his aura was consumed by panic. In the next instant he was by my side, hands taking gentle hold of my head and turning it to get a better look. "Where's your mask? You didn't have one?"

I peeked my eyes open cautiously and then blinked when I saw the air was now clear. Behind us, I could hear Krieg laughing away, crowing at my stupidity for giving up my life to save an enemy. Both his and Luffy's mask had been removed, which was all the encouragement I needed to suck in a full, slow breath.

"It's fine," I assured my brother, letting him turn my head this way and that as he examined me for any kind of injury. He stared into my eyes for a moment as I gifted him with a smile and, after a few seconds, he smiled back.

"Phew, I was really worried when I saw you didn't have a mask!"

"I tried to give her mine," Gin said as he slowly sat up, now that I'd finally let him go. He peered at me, not seeming to quite believe that I was okay. "How...?"

"I held my breath," I shrugged as he gaped.

"Shishishi, that was really smart! Lili can hold her breath for a looooong time!"

"It's true," I nodded. "My record is almost seven minutes."

I could almost hear the sound of Krieg grinding his teeth from here, his aggravation only growing as the restaurant doors opened, revealing a collection of completely unharmed cooks. All that and he hadn't harmed a single person.

"Now that we've all had a nice little break," I said loudly with obvious cheer, pissing the Don off all the more, "do you think you can finally get this over with?"

My question was directed towards my brother who pouted in response. "I've been trying, but he's really tricky. Every time I think I've got him he pulls out something else!"

"That's what Haki's for, dummy," I rolled my eyes, tapping my fist against his head lightly. "You may not be able to use Observation all that easily but you've pretty much mastered Armament, right? So, why aren't you using it?"

"Oh." He blinked at me for a minute before he began to laugh. "Oh, yeah!"

"Oh, yeah," I agreed dryly. "Now, go get 'em. This fight has dragged on way longer than it should've."

"Right!" With that, he leapt happily to his feet, pausing only to deposit his treasured hat onto my head for safe keeping, and charged.

"So you survived, so what!" Krieg yelled, waving his shield again and unleashing a barrage of bombs. "I can think of a thousand different ways to kill you!"

The bombs hit the water with an almighty splash, blocking his from view. Not that Luffy needed to see in order to know where he was. And, now that he was actually using it, his Hardening was bound to make any further attack-by-spear pretty much useless, which became apparent when the water fell to reveal him still running, completely unharmed.

I could see Krieg falter at the sight for a moment before wrapping his bravado around him much like the spiked cape he was pulling forward. "There's no way you can touch me! You can't hope to match against me when I have such things at my -"

Lu didn't even wait for him to finish, stretching his blackened fist back before slamming it directly into spikes and through them, into Krieg's face. Cooks and pirates alike cringed, discretely shaking out their hands in sympathy, while Sanji began yelling about reckless idiots. Luffy, meanwhile, was extracting his arm from the literal hole he'd made in the Don's cape, tossing it aside carelessly even as the owner fell the the deck.

"There!" He grinned, turning to offer me a thumbs-up like the gigantic dork that he was. "Told you I'd punch him extra hard for you!"

"Yes, good," I praised indulgently. "Now actually beat him, would ya?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, turning back to face the man that was slowly forcing himself back onto his feet.

"You won't win this," he growled, wiping at his bleeding nose. "You can't. I'm the strongest in this sea! I'm the one who'll be King!"

"Nope!" Luffy disagreed cheerfully, winding his obsidian fist back once more. "That's gonna be me!"

Regardless of his tone, his punch landed on the Don's chest with a loud crack before his armor just _shattered_ , driving him into the deck below to splinter that as well. Luffy jumped up onto a hanging mast in order to avoid the water, practically prancing in his perceived victory. Except, as had been proven time and time again, Krieg was the lowest of the low and always had one more trick to pull.

This time, that trick was in the form of an iron net.

"I told you! This fight is mine!" The Don yelled. "All I have to do is drag you under and you'll drown! _I always win!_ "

"I can still stretch!" My brother yelled back, sticking his legs out of the netting and doing just that, jabbing them downwards into the other captain's now unprotected gut. The downside to this was, as Krieg was driven farther downward, through the remaining deck and into the depths below, Luffy had no choice but to follow, trapped as he was.

Within seconds, they'd both disappeared beneath the waves.

"Luffy!" I screamed, even knowing there was no way he could hear me. I was prepared to dash forward and dive after him but, before I'd made it more than a few steps, Sanji had beaten me to it, jumping into the sea without an ounce of hesitation. Glancing back I caught sight of Zeff heading back into the restaurant, swaggering as much as he was able with only one leg and a crutch, smirking in satisfaction all the while.

"He... beat him," Gin breathed behind me, looking as if his entire world view had just been shattered. "He beat the Don... like it was nothing."

"Well, not nothing," I disagreed absently, zeroing my focus in on my brother and our cook. I breathed out in relief when they both broke the surface, the blond patting at Luffy's face in order to get him to begin spitting out water. "Those tricks of his were a problem, underhanded as they were. But, hey, we are pirates. Nowhere does it say we have to fight fair."

"But still... The Don was the only man I ever admired... and he lost."

"Everyone loses," I told him, turning to meet his eye. "At some point, everyone loses. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Don't forget that."

He gulped, nodding. "R-Right."

"But... just because you lose doesn't mean you can't try again. And just because you make a mistake doesn't mean you can't have a second chance." I offered him one last smile before marching forward over what remained of the Baratie's deck. I made it to the edge just as Sanji did and reached down to help him haul my brother's dead weight out of the water. And then all three of us just sort of... sat there and didn't move. "Hell of a day, huh?"

"I need a smoke," Sanji murmured, arm thrown over his eyes, and Luffy snickered. We all glanced up as a shadow fell over us, followed by a thump as Gin plopped down beside me.

"I think I'm gonna go back," he told us, gaze never wavering from the horizon. "Back to the Grand Line. What do you think?"

When he finally turned to face us, he was met with wide grins. "Definitely!" Luffy yelled, full of excitement. "It's the Ocean of Dreams!"

"I think, now that you've got a better mindset, you'll do just fine," I assured him.

"Just as long as you take all these other shitheads with you," Sanji threw in, though he couldn't hide a smirk of his own. "Patty! Carne! Get the boat we use to go get ingredients. We're giving it to them."

"What?! Why should we give a boat to the scum that attacked us? They can swim away for all I care!"

"How will we go get our ingredients if we give him our boat, you idiot?!"

" _Just do it_!"

"Right!"

"On it!"

Gin laughed, a quiet thing, and I felt my own smile widen in response. He wasn't a bad man, not really. He'd just placed his faith in the wrong person. Now that he was thinking clearly, I had no doubts that he'd go far. Especially without the poison he'd inhaled last time. Now, he'd get to live his life as fully as he could, fighting to achieve his dreams out on the big blue ocean.

"You three really are something else," he muttered in a tone that was bordering on fond. As he gazed back out at the water, taking in the sparse men that were still left of his crew, all floating about unsure of what to do next, he sighed. "I'll take them with me. The Don, too. We'll regroup and recover and then we'll start over."

"Sounds like a plan," I agreed.

"And we'll meet there!" Luffy cheered. "Out on the Grand Line! Definitely!"

Gin smiled, looking like the weight of the world had fallen from his shoulders. "Yeah," he agreed softly, "definitely."

.

* * *

.

Gin wasted no time in collecting his remaining crewmates and his wayward captain before casting off with a smile and a wave and a promise to meet again one day. While I was sad to see him go I was also happy for him and optimistic at our chances of crossing paths again.

After he was gone, Lu and I both hurried inside to check on our swordsman who, thankfully, had been transported up to the second floor and laid out on a bed. He was still unconscious, which wasn't all that surprising, and I was glad to see that, while his bandages had taken on a definitive red tinge they hadn't yet soaked through. Which hopefully meant that I'd done a passable job.

Once Luffy and I had assured ourselves of our crewmate's continued existence, our next stop was to check up on Merry, after extracting a promise from one of the chef's that they'd keep an eye on Zoro until we came back.

Though the waters hadn't remained as calm as I'd hoped, it seemed our ship had still been able to escape undamaged. Still, even with our stomachs gurgling with hunger, we sat with her for awhile, filling her in on all the things that had happened, as it seemed wrong not to. I didn't know if Luffy had talked to her like this in canon as well or if it was something he'd begun doing in response to me doing it but, either way, I was glad. And I knew that Merry was, too, ship or not.

After we'd eaten enough to feed a dozen people, each, we dragged ourselves back up to the room Zoro had placed in and passed out in a tangled heap at the foot of his bed.

The next day was filled with noise as the chefs began taking stock of damages and started making minor repairs. And still, through it all, Zoro didn't twitch, not even when I changed his bandages and rinsed off his wound. While the skin around his cut was red, it wasn't inflamed, and there wasn't any kind of stench coming from it. I crossed my fingers and hoped that meant I was doing this right and that his continued slumber did not, in fact, mean that I'd inadvertently killed him.

Which couldn't possibly be the case, I tried to assure myself, because in canon he'd only had rudimentary first aide until after the fight at Arlong Park and he'd been fine then, right? Right?

Still, if Lu and I were a little more clingy that night and hovered around him a bit more than usual, well, it wasn't like anyone but Sanji was around to judge us anyway.

The next day, thankfully, was the day he woke up.

"Bwuh?" Was the first word he spoke, his eyes slitting open to stare blearily at the ceiling.

" _Zoro_!" Within seconds, my brother and I were both leaning over him, grins spread over our faces. "You're awake!"

He grimaced at us, though whether that was at our cheer or the volume of our voices, I didn't know. "Wha' h'pp'ned?"

"Well, you got stabbed and slashed a bunch of times and then fell into the ocean," I answered succinctly. "And then I had to not only fish you out but stitch you up. Which, let me tell you, is _not_ easy when you have no hands-on experience."

He managed to grimace again, even as his eyes were sliding shut. "S'rry."

"Hey, no, uh-uh," I commanded, reaching up to lightly tap his cheek. "You've been out for two days, we need to get some food in you. So, stay awake, okay? Just for a bit?" When he blinked his eyes open at me once more, I could see the determination flare up inside of him and sighed. Really, these boys. They'd conquer the world on hard-headedness alone if they had to. Thankfully, his innate stubbornness was coming in handy this time. "Lu, Sanji made soup for lunch, didn't he? Think you could run down and get a bowl?"

"Sure thing!" He agreed, popping up to his feet like a demented jack-in-the-box.

"Without getting your own!" I yelled after him and then sighed, as he was already out the door. Turning back to Zoro, I admitted, "It may be more than a bit."

He offered me a sigh of his own, though it was much weaker than mine had been, and looked thoroughly unsurprised by this development. Which, yeah, fair.

Instead, to keep him occupied, I filled him in on everything he'd missed out on while he was busy trying to bleed out. I could tell he was upset over having missed an opportunity to fight but that, even now, laid up in bed and weak as he was, he wouldn't change a thing even if he could. By the time I was done telling him about Gin casting off, I was shooting glances towards the door through narrowed eyes. Because even if he'd taken the chance to fill his stomach it shouldn't have taken this long for him to come back. So, what on earth was taking him so long?

My question was answered a few minutes later when he burst through the door, sans soup, with a grin wide enough to split his face. "Sanji's our chef now!" He crowed in excitement. "He's gonna go with us on our adventure! And he's gonna look for All Blue!"

All Blue? When had they even had the time to talk about that? I was with Luffy practically every moment of the day! Well, whatever, at least this explained where'd he'd been for the last half hour.

"That's great!" I smiled back at him, genuinely excited. "Now that Zoro's awake, that means we can probably head out soon, too! Who knows what kind of trouble Nami and Usopp have gotten into by now?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet back up with them!" Luffy was practically vibrating in excitement at the very thought. Not that I was much better, honestly. For only having been with them for a few weeks, it already felt weird not having them within easy reach. These past two days had been hard on the both of us, not at all helped by the fact that the one crewmate we did have with us was gravely injured. Speaking of...

I turned back to our swordsman only to sigh when I found him snoring. Still, he'd kept himself awake longer than I'd thought he would. And the fact that he was snoring meant that this was true sleep, not unconsciousness, which could only do him good.

"We should stay until he wakes up again," I suggested, reaching out to cover him more thoroughly with the loose blanket he'd been provided with. "He really does need to eat."

"Okay!" Luffy agreed easily, hoping over to perch beside me on Zoro's bedside. "Sanji needs to pack and say goodbye anyway."

 _Only a few more hours_ , I thought as I reached up to smooth out the furrow that had appeared between Zoro's brow, _and we'll be heading for Conomi Islands_.

 _Hold on, Nami, Usopp. We'll be there soon_.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: I'M ALIIIIVE!**

 **Yes, I know, this chapter is _incredibly_ overdue. And I truly am sorry! I actually had it written quite awhile ago. But then, being the idiot that I am, I neglected to save it. And then I lost the entire. thing. Over 20,000 words, gone! Which was extremely discouraging, honestly. It took a lot to get myself to start rewriting it. And once I did, it took even more to _keep_ writing it. Because, even though I knew what I wanted, it still wasn't flowing as easily as it had the first time around. Because of that, most of this was written in tiny bursts. So, if it doesn't have the same flow as usual, that's why. But, hey, it's over 26,000 words long! Which makes this my longest chapter yet!**

 **Also, just to get this out there: I don't mind it when reviewers ask/beg/demand an update. Really, I don't, not unless they're being particularly rude, which none of the readers of this fic have been yet in regards to that! It shows me that you like what I've written enough to be excited for more. That being said, I want you all to know that I've refrained from specifying a posting schedule for this fic for a reason. For awhile I tried to have a chapter written in advance, so that I'd always have something to post, but that didn't last long. I'm an extremely impatient person when it comes to things like this and I always feel the need to post a new chapter the moment it's done, which is why most don't even get a proofread when I finish them at 4-6 in the morning (hence all the horrendous typos, oops). Simply put: when I finish a chapter, I post it. Sometimes that means multiple updates a week, like when I first started this story.**

 **But the one thing I will not do is promise to have a chapter posted on any specific date or within a given time frame. Why? Because if I do, I'm going to begin to get stressed. Maybe not at first but eventually, when I can't update on time, I will. And that is the one thing I don't want to happen. Because the moment I begin to stress over this fic is the moment I no longer want to write for it.**

 **And I _want_ to write for it. **

**And so, as much as I appreciate your encouragements and don't mind them in the least, I'd very much like it if you could be understanding about this.**

 **Anyway, yay, Sanji! Yay, Gin! Arlong Park next chapter and then it's off to Loguetown, where I have a few things planned.**

 **As for Zoro's wound, once again, I am not a doctor and have absolutely no medical experience beyond what I looked up online for reference. I hope that I've gotten it more or less right? Sorry if I didn't.**

 **To those of you saying you wish I would change more: right now, I'm changing as much as I think I should. Maybe you think I should've changed something else, which is fine! But if you really feel that strongly about it, you're welcome to write your own fic where said thing is changed. I read every review you guys leave and I put a lot of thought into all of your suggestions. But each change is bound to trigger many others. And I don't want Lily bouncing around and changing things simply because she can. That's not the type of story I'm trying to write. She's not going out of her way to change things or keep them the same, unless it's something important, like their route in the Grand Line will be. More than anything, she's just living and reacting to things as they come as any other person would, despite her foreknowledge of some events. I'm sorry to those of you who aren't satisfied with this and I'm beyond grateful to those who are sticking it out with this fic regardless. I appreciate every suggestion for what changes to make you all leave in your reviews, as it helps me to further map out the chain reaction certain things will cause. But please, please don't review simply to yell or complain about the fact that I haven't changed something you thought I should or, more than that, the fact that I'm not changing absolutely everything. I appreciate your opinions, from the bottom of my heart, I do. But I am also the one writing this story, and right now, this is the way that I want it to be. I'm sorry to those who are disappointed by this.**

 **Also, last thing before I get to reviews: I'm not setting up any one pairing. There will be no pairings in this fic. But, there will be hints thrown out for pretty much every pairing there is, since I plan on having each of them have a close relationship. So, feel free to look farther into it if you want, I don't mind. Just so long as you know I'm not planning on ever explicitly writing any of them together like that.**

 **Appirinia: What were you saying about taking my time to update? Ahahaha...ha... No blushing Lily this chapter but they _were_ in the middle of a fight for Sanji's home and Lily _was_ pretty much covered in Zoro's blood throughout the whole thing. On the whole soulmates thing, I completely understand where you're coming from and 100% agree. Same with Sanji and Zoro's relationship, honestly. I don't think it'll be as volatile in this fic as it is in canon but it'll definitely revolve around a certain amount of violence. As for changing things, I've been trying my best to keep on top of what I change and the ripples those changes will make. Like how they avoided Fullbody, which means he didn't confront them, which means Johnny and Yosaku didn't get beaten and Nami didn't see Arlong's wanted poster and was instead reminded of him in a different way, which resulted in the Merry being there during Mihawk's attack and Usopp and the bounty hunters being gone while Zoro stayed, and so on. So, yeah, while it's a bit difficult, I'm slowly but surely building up the changes, all while doing my best to keep an eye on things. Glad the last chapter was able to make your week better. Hopefully this one will, too!**

 **GJO1088: I hadn't realized lemons were a better option! Well, even if I had, I still probably would have stuck with limes. As Lily said, she doesn't like limes, hence she didn't mind giving them to Yosaku haha I'm pretty sure the reason Gin is never brought up again is that he's probably dead. He even stated that he most likely only had a few hours left to live. Which is such a shitty ending for him, honestly. And who says Sanji didn't flirt with Nami? Just because it was never showed doesn't mean it didn't happen, it simply means Lily either wasn't there to see it or wasn't paying it much attention.**

 **The one drawback of writing something in first person like this is the fact that a lot of things happen behind the scenes since the story is only being told from a single perspective. So, just because I don't write some things doesn't mean they didn't happen or that I forgot about them. Simply means Lily wasn't there to witness it.**

 **As for Lily fulfilling her dream, I don't so much see her dream as wanting to be _the absolute strongest_ , especially in regards to other women. If anything, she'd be thrilled at the fact that there's such strong women out there, even if some of them are despicable people. Her dream, really, is to be able to live without the weight of expectations, or, in other words, to live freely as she wishes. To her, now, the simplest way to achieve this is to be strong enough that no one can force her to do anything. And so she can break the mold of "girls are inherently weaker than boys" while she's at it.**

 **Viet Devil: I will not be inserting my own bad guys during the major fights. At least, not beyond the stray canon fodder or two. I will, however, probably end up adding my own bad guy OC's inbetween arcs, since fighting the same people all throughout the story would be a little boring. I love mama!Lily as well! I have a solution for their sleeping problem more or less figured out, which will be revealed after the Arlong Arc.**

 **Tsumi Yuki: Yes, I've been unable to find many good Luffy-sibling fics, let alone twin ones. I'm glad you've taken a liking to this one! Also don't worry, I don't mind you shipping them at all haha thank you for reading!**

 **xenocanaan: I have thought a bit about adding some of the noncanon arcs. If I did, it would mostly be the movies, as I still have yet to watch the anime and so I haven't seen any of the filler arcs. Also, regarding the message I never answered (sorry!) I, too, love the word surreptitious. I can completely see Iva freaking out, especially with what I have planned for Lily during the Impel Down arc. He is sure to have a freak out of epic proportions, not least because of how reckless the Monkey twins each tend to be. He's definitely going to have his work cut out for him on that one.**

 **auron frost: Thank you! I've been trying really hard to establish Lily as the main character in THIS fic without taking away from Luffy being the MAIN CHARACTER. It's a pretty fine line, sometimes, as Lily kind of just... starts giving orders sometimes. But Luffy isn't really one to mind most of the time during those instances and Lily usual throws in an "alright with you, captain?" so it's all good haha I totally understand what you meant, about most OCs making it seem like they're on some grand adventure and the crew is just along for the ride. It was part of the reason I had Lily be reborn in this fic (besides all the messy unanswered questions that would come from OC-falling-into-OP-universe). Lily grew up here, even if she carries the memories of another world with her. And yeah, it took a bit for it to really hit her that _all_ the character here were actually _people_ , not just her brother, but she got there eventually. Anyway, thank you for reading!**

 **Fenrir's Phantom: If Lily is to get a Devil Fruit, it'll most likely be during or directly after the Loguetown arc, as I have more planned for it than what happened during canon.**

 **Catflower Queen: The sleeping arrangements will be resolved after the Arlong Arc, so not long now! With both of them having Observation, though Lily's is by far stronger, I couldn't see them shooting at the bounty hunters unknowingly or letting the marine ship sneak up next to them. I have something planned for when Sanji finds out Lily and Luffy are related, though Lily's probably not gonna like it! Until then, I see a lot of pouting over misunderstanding in Sanji's future when he sees how close the two are without the distinction that they're siblings. And, even if he won't stop someone from flirting with her, there's no way Luffy would just sit by and let his sister get peeped on, trust me. Because that's violating Lily's privacy and taking her choice away from her (the choice to let someone see her like that or not) and that is something he would definitely not let happen. Besides, if Lily's not there to witness it, it's fine if he stands up for her like that, right? It's not like she'll know... haha No seeing Luffy's attempts at "woo-ing" haha sorry. But! They didn't just sit in the restaurant and eat, either. Instead, Luffy was free to follow Sanji around like a puppy, Usopp often trailing after him, while Sanji tried his best not to snap and kill them both! I feel bad for his date, too, now that you mention it. Poor girl. And, yeah, Garp def needs to clean up the East Blue. The marines there are ridiculously corrupt.**

 **Stolyint: Don't worry, the puppy piles will definitely make a reappearance! Zoro will be one of the first to learn Haki, though I haven't quite decided which it will be that he awakens first, yet. Probably Armament. As for Nami, it'll definitely be Observation.**

 **Juliedoo: After that success, Lily will be continuing her quest to make Zoro laugh. And it's bound to be equal part hilarious and ridiculous.**

 **RayRay: Yes, Lily has assigned herself the task of trying to keep Zoro more lighthearted than he is in canon. I agree with you that he began growing much more serious after his defeat by Mihawk and I could also see it as a way for him to counterbalance Luffy. Here, though, Lily is there to help counterbalance her brother, so it's not all Zoro's responsibility. Also, she's managed to get him laughing out loud a few times now and she's not likely to give up making it happen as often as possible any time soon.**

 **eagle0108: Often times you'll get an email notification when you receive a PM. That being said, I never got a message from you! Sorry! I would've replied if I had!**

 **pokeloon: I can see both Ace and Sabo trying to assert their big brotherness when they meet the men of the Straw Hat crew. Ace will do it despite knowing what's coming while Sabo will be oblivious to Lily's impending reaction. Though, I could also see her being a bit more longsuffering and indulgent than she would be with Luffy, since it's been so long since she's seen them. Well, maybe not Ace. But really, it's his own fault. He should've written his sister a letter over the years. And Lily is going to be forgetting a lot of things over the course of this story. After all, she's seventeen here, meaning that at the very least, it's been seventeen years since she last read the manga. And it wasn't like she read it with the intention of memorizing it at the time. So, while bigger things are easier to recall, the little things are bound to slip between the cracks. Also, as for Luffy not becoming a chore boy: Lily used her Observation to sense the Marine ship coming up beside them, giving them ample time to escape. Fullbody, on his way to a date, had better things to do than give chase. Which meant no canon was fired, which meant it was never deflected into the roof of the Baratie. No deflected canon ball meant no damages Lu had to repay which meant he never became a chore boy. Even the smallest of changes can affect a lot of things**

 **TwinFicLover: omg thank you so much! I may or may not be blushing a little bit (a lot) due to your kind words! Ace is totally bound to try to kick up some kind of a fuss over Sanji (and the other male members of the crew, who are we kidding?) and Lily is sure to have absolutely no patience for it, given the fact she's already annoyed at him. He better tread carefully before he gets punched, Lily has Haki so his Logia form isn't gonna help him much haha While I haven't gotten caught up yet, I have seen stuff about Sanji's family (which is heartbreaking and I kind of want to set each of them on fire) and I'll be incorporating some of that into his character. Not glaringly, but it will be there. And, after awhile, he may be more inclined to reveal a bit of his past instead of keeping it all bottled up and hidden away until the very last moment. As for how far Lily's knowledge goes, she only knows as much as I did when I first began writing this fic, which was right after the Dressrosa Arc. Anyway, thank you again for all the kind words! And thank you for reading!**

 **sleepy gold: Ahaha yeah, this fic did come out of nowhere. For the first month I was constantly posting and, before the month was up, I'd already reached over 100,000 words. I had debated adding the OC tag but didn't, for some reason. I may go back and change that soon. Your sum-up of Lily's intelligence and the way she reveals it is spot on, honestly. Also, I think I've decided on giving her the title of quartermaster, though spymaster was an option for a while. The thing is, though, she's trying not to rely on her knowledge overly much. Because it's been almost two decades since the last time she read the manga and, even then, she hadn't been reading it with the sole purpose of memorizing it. Because of that, things are beginning to slip through the cracks of her memory. She'll remember the big things, but the little details are going to be much harder for her to place. Especially with things changing and making such knowledge even more unreliable. That said, she is pretty good at picking up information fairly effortlessly. So, who knows? Maybe she can be both haha As for how far her knowledge of the time line goes, she knows just as much as I did when I first began writing this. At the time, I was a bit behind, having only read up until when Sabo leaves the recovering Straw Hat crew after the Dressrosa Arc. So, she knows nothing about Sanji's family or his past, beyond what was revealed during the Baratie arc. That doesn't mean she still won't find it out, though. Anyway, thank you so much for reading!**

 **R. Firefly: I'm glad you like it so far! And that I've converted you back to OP fic! Thank you so much for reading!**

 **HaPPy2901: I've noticed that finding good OC fanfic in any fandom is fairly difficult. Especially ones not revolving around romance. I don't mind that you like Lily and Zoro as a pairing! It's perfectly alright haha though, like I said, I won't ever write them in an actual romantic sense, I see no problem with readers shipping any of the pairings if they want to. A lot of Lily's self is based off of me and how I would react when faced with certain situations. I take that reaction and then twist it to fit the character that Lily has grown into (hence her being a mix of SI and OC). As for knowing certain customs, while she was from America while she lived in our world, she still had knowledge of certain Japanese customs, just like I do. I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything (I am far, _far_ from it) but I still know a bit about it. Everything else she'd be able to learn at a young age, either by being taught or by observing. Remember, in the first chapter it ends with her being about a year and a half old. By the second, she's six. That's a fairly large gap in time for her to learn things. As for references made from her past life, the most obvious so far would be the songs she sings after a nightmare and those that she's taught her brothers as well, as music is a very big part of my life and was also of her's. As for anything else? I could see her slipping up and making a reference to a movie or something from this life and then hurrying to cover it up, but it isn't something that's bound to happen often outside of her thoughts. She's had seventeen years growing up in this world without the influence of ours. And she wouldn't go out of her way to remember most things since there'd be no one who'd understand what she was talking about. As for learning about her past, I've never really planned on making it a big part of this story. I've gotten a lot of people asking, though, so I may eventually write a side fic for it. Kind of like a One Piece movie, where it has no real affect on the main story but makes for an entertaining story nonetheless. I don't know, we'll see, I suppose. Anyway, thank you so much for reading!**

 **Pixie-stick13: Sorry, no Gin joining! I asked awhile ago if readers wanted more characters joining the crew, as I really didn't mind either way, and most said no. Because of that, I've decided not to add any extras to the Straw Hat line-up. But! He wasn't poisoned this time which means he'll live and, loving Gin the way that I do, they're bound to cross paths on the Grand Line. So, we'll definitely be seeing him again, I promise!**

 **OPF: No worries! This new update was also very, very late, so we're even haha realism is something I've been trying very hard to keep a constant in this fic which, given this is One Piece, is not always the easiest thing to do. Still, I'm doing my best! It's true that part of the reason Nami wants Lily to stay in the girl's room is so that she's not alone. But, up until this point she's also been _keeping_ herself separate from the rest of them as best as she could, knowing that she'd have to leave them and return to Arlong eventually. Hopefully, once things calm down after the next arc, she'll feel more comfortable with letting herself care and be cared for. The Song of the Sea I'm talking about (which is a lullaby, yes) is from an animated movie of the same title. It's a beautiful song and one I could see Luffy loving, even if it's not a party tune. You can definitely interpret Luffy joining Gin and Lily at the table that way! haha Lu and Lily's interactions are my meaning of life at the moment too, honestly haha anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **mylongodetosleep: Finding good fic for One Piece is, indeed, extremely difficult. Which is sad, since I do love the One Piece world so much. Oh, no! I'm sorry you've been sick, but I'm glad you're feeling better! Hopefully, by now, you're feeling even better than you were when you left your review! Also, thank you, thank you, thank you! Your review was incredibly kind and was honestly one of the things that finally gave me the push I needed to begin rewriting this chapter. So, really, truly, thank you!**

 **SarcasmIsBest53: The plot bunnies haven't run away from me! In fact, I'm pretty sure they're multiplying. The real trouble comes from actually sitting down and writing them out, honestly haha thank you for reading!**

 **animagirl: I see Lily being very indulgent of Sanji's fawning, though she will most definitely draw the line when it comes to him interfering with her fights or presuming to stand up to others on her behalf. And making Zoro laugh has become one of Lily's life goals, honestly haha thank you for reading!**

 **Welp, there's chapter 20. Hope you all enjoyed it. As usual, I've been up all night and all day working on this and haven't gotten a wink of sleep (I'm literally fighting just to keep my eyes open right now). If you see any typos or goofs, let me know and I'll try to fix them asap.**

 **Please follow, favorite or review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** **I wanted to let all of you know that I've created a tumblr dedicated solely to the artwork I make for this fic, so that it's easier for all of you to see. The url is spitfirelily. tumblr. com. I've been working on quite a few pieces for this fic recently (one of them being Lily and Zoro doing yoga together, because who can resist _that_ visual?) which I'll be posting there soon. So, please check it out or follow it if you're interested!**

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Sanji's departure was, in a word, emotional.

It hadn't started out that way, to be sure. Despite the emotions roiling in all of them, our new cook most of all, his walk from the doors of the Baratie to Merry's gangplank was silent and somber. The cooks gathered on either side watched quietly as Sanji marched on, bag slung over his shoulder and eyes set on the path before him, with not a single word spoken.

Wanting to give him his time as we'd done for Usopp, even if it was just for this sad procession, Luffy and I had gotten to work making sure that the Merry was ready for the journey ahead. We'd long since transferred Zoro from the bedroom we'd been granted in the restaurant to the girl's room - much easier to access than the boy's, not to mention the fact that Zoro needed more than a hammock right now. I was sure Nami would understand, though we'd placed the swordsman on my bed just to be safe - and he was now peacefully sleeping.

Which meant only Luffy and I were left to get everything in order, at least until Sanji got onboard. I didn't mind so much; Merry was a small ship, relatively speaking, and easily seen to even with small numbers. Still, we had enough to do to occupy ourselves and give Sanji his time to bid farewell, even if it seemed so far that it would be one without words.

The sudden surge of violence had me flinching and turning towards our new cook instantly, even if no feelings of anger or fear followed. From his place up in the rigging, I could see Luffy respond in kind, practically twisting himself into knots from turning so quickly.

It wasn't a surprise, really, to lean over the railing only to find Sanji continuing on his way, Patty and Carne laid out and bloody on the deck behind him. My lips quirked up at the sight. Ever since the fight against Krieg and his crew, the two chefs had been oscillating between trying to get the drop on the blond to whispering harshly to each other about how he was far too strong to fight. It seemed they hadn't been able to pass up this last opportunity.

Sanji walked up the gangplank slowly, cigarette held loosely in his lips and shoulders slouched in a seemingly uncaring posture. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah," I answered, turning to share a shrug with my brother. "More or less. Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye?"

"It's fine," he mumbled before seeming to catch himself, turning to me with a wide grin and love-lorn eyes. "You're so considerate and kind, Lily-chan!"

"Yeah, sure," I agreed dryly, turning away to head for the rudder.

He made as if to follow me, body practically noodling. "How blessed I must be to have the fortune of sailing with someone as beautiful as you at my -"

"Sanji."

The blond froze upon hearing Zeff's voice, all thought of showering me in his special brand of love forgotten. His eyes widened, lip faintly trembling, though he'd yet to turn back around.

"Don't catch a cold."

And that was all it took. Suddenly, the silent procession of just a moment ago was turned into a gaggle of sobbing men, all hanging off one another for support. And our new cook was crying loudest of them all, spinning on his heel and falling to his knees to bow his head and yell his thanks to the man that had given up so much for him, had raised him and looked after him and had been there for him for so long.

"Let's meet again one day!" He yelled, somehow managing a smile through the tears that poured down his face. "You good for nothing bastards!"

"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed, laughing joyfully as he released the sail. "Let's go!"

Just as we cast off, letting the wind and the waves pull us from the fish-shaped restaurant, Zeff's voice, gruff with fond exasperation, reached me one last time over the sound of his employees all shouting their farewells and well wishes.

"Damn idiots... Men should say their goodbyes silently."

I felt a grin spread across my face and quietly disagreed. This kind of send off was much better.

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"Alright. Before we get there, there's some things you guys should know."

I sat next to my brother, piles of food laid out on the table in front of us. After we'd gone far enough that the Baratie was out of sight, Sanji had made a beeline for his new kitchen in order to check it out and make sure everything was set to his specifications, a task he'd been working on ever since. Luffy and I had set the Merry on her course before going to join our new cook in the galley. The blond hadn't needed much persuasion to whip us up some lunch, especially after I'd asked, and he'd been seemingly delighted at the chance to show off his cooking prowess.

Zoro had joined us soon after, which had resulted in a tense stare-off between the two of us, one I'd admitted defeat to with a tired sigh. It wasn't like I could blame him, as I'd barely let him so much as move since he'd woken up, not sure how much stress his stitches could take and not quite up to finding out. Still, it wouldn't be right to have this discussion and stuff our faces while he sat alone in some room.

And now, with a full stomach, it was probably the best chance I'd get to explain the situation we'd be walking - sailing - into while keeping most of my captain's attention.

"The place we're going is the Conomi Islands," I said for Sanji's benefit, who'd given me his attention even as he continued wiping the cup in his hands dry. "It's Nami's home island. And if I'm getting it right," which I was, "it's been taken over by the Arlong Pirates, a group of fishman pirates from the Grand Line. Arlong used to be a member of the Sun Pirates before their captain, Fisher Tiger, was killed a few years ago. His first mate, Jinbe, accepted the position of Warlord not long after. In doing so, he more or less kicked Arlong and the rest of his crew, members that had broken away from what was left of the Sun Pirates, out of the Grand Line and here to the East Blue. That was about eight years ago."

"You're so smart, Lily-chan~!" Sanji praised, pirouetting to deposit a fresh glass of juice at my side and whisking the empty one away in the same movement, thoroughly ignoring Zoro's scoff as he went. I shrugged at him, though I couldn't quite help but smile at the compliment, my cheeks tinting to the faintest of pinks.

"I just know how to listen," I explained. "When someone as prestigious as Arlong gets kicked out of the Grand Line, people talk. And there was a bit of panic afterwards because everyone thought he'd start plundering through the East Blue since, weakest of the Blues as we are, there wouldn't be many that would be able to stop him. After a few weeks had gone by with no word, though, most had more or less forgotten about it. I guess he'd decided to stop with just a few islands instead of conquering them all."

Luffy's brow was furrowed in thought. "So... he's bad? And really strong."

"Yes and yes," I answered succinctly. "A lot of fishmen are pretty notorious for taking a violent stance when dealing with humans, Arlong most of all. It's not without reason, since humans tend to be pretty shitty to them, killing and capturing them for no other reason than that they're _different_. And World Nobles love parading them about as slaves, since they're so _exotic_. It's no wonder most of them hate humans."

A frown had begun tugging at my brother's lips upon hearing the bitterness in my tone. I couldn't really hide it and felt no reason to. He understood why I disliked nobles so much, especially World Nobles, and I knew he felt much the same. "And he's the reason Nami won't say she's in my crew?"

"Probably. I'm guessing he offered her the chance to buy her village back, which is why she's working so hard to do just that. With that kind of responsibility, it's not like she can just run off and join a crew. She's not the type that would just abandon her village like that."

"Right!" Luffy agreed, looking no longer put out but instead very proud of his intended navigator. "So, we'll just have to help her, then!"

"Of course we'll help her, you shithead," Sanji grumbled. Despite his tone he was serving up another plate of what looked like shrimp fried rice, with extra shrimp, to my brother. I gifted him with a smile when I caught a glimpse of the chopped vegetables he'd added in there, which nearly caused him to swoon on the spot. "Nami-san must be so brave, to have gone through such pain on her own! I'll be her knight and I'll treat her like the princess she is, her every will be done by me!"

"We have to be careful, though," I told Luffy seriously, ignoring Sanji as he continued to ramble on poetically. "We don't know what kind of situation we're heading into, not really. It's not just us we have to think about but Zoro, too. He's really wounded right now. And I don't know how much of a fight he'll be up to."

"Hey," said swordsman grumbled, looking annoyed, "I'm right here, you know. And I can fight just fine."

Luffy ignored him, nodding at me once, decisive, and I knew that was the best I could hope for. He wasn't going to avoid any fights against Arlong, especially once he'd seen just how much pain Nami was in, but he'd hopefully be more careful about our swordsman. He trusted us to know our own limits. But maybe it'd be enough to keep Zoro from pushing himself so far.

"Finding their auras should be fairly easy once we're in range. I'm planning on avoiding as many people as we can while we dock, since I'm more worried about meeting up with the others than I am with announcing our presence." I lifted a questioning brow, asking without words if that was alright with my captain.

"Sounds great!" He agreed cheerfully, bouncing with excitement. "I can't wait to see the others again! It's been _forever_!"

It had barely been three days but, he was right, it had definitely _felt_ like forever since we'd last seen them. Even Zoro looked slightly mollified by the prospect, though I doubted he'd ever admit to it out loud.

"Right," I nodded. "With the way the wind and the weather are, it shouldn't take too long to get there. A few hours at the most. I'm hopeful that the others were able to lay low up until now but, just in case, we should all be ready for anything."

"Mm," Luffy agreed easily, his gaze sweeping over each of us as he came to a decision. "Zoro's on back up. Lili, if we get split up, you're with him."

"I don't need a babysitter," Zoro argued instantly, looking downright mutinous. Luffy met his glare steadily, not giving an inch and, after only a moment, the swordsman grumbled and looked away. I was slightly jealous of my brother's ability to stare the man down when I'd failed so thoroughly in doing so earlier, but couldn't really say I was surprised.

With this plan in mind, Luffy went back to stuffing his face without a care in the world, content in the knowledge that we were making our way ever closer to the rest of our crew. Zoro didn't look any happier than I did, though for different reasons, but we both still followed our captain's lead, knowing we'd need our strength for whatever was coming.

All we could really do until we got there was wait.

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The first sight we had of Conomi Islands showed nothing out of the ordinary. It looked like any other chain of islands found in the East Blue, peaceful and quiet. My Observation Haki, however, told a very different story.

The place was practically drenched in _horror_ , _hopelessness_ and _despair_. Overlaying it all was a constant thrum of _grief_ , old and dull and sharp and new, all at the same time. It felt like the entire place was calling out, begging desperately for any help it could find.

"Lily?" Luffy whispered from beside me, hand reaching out to grasp my suddenly tensed shoulder. I could hear Sanji muttering behind me, seemingly incensed by the casual touch, but ignored him, instead gracing my brother with as much of a smile as I could manage. Which, going by the way his eyebrows furrowed even further, hadn't been much.

"This place is in a lot of pain," I explained, gaze coming to rest upon the island before us once more. And then I closed my eyes, pushing past the roiling mess of emotions to focus on specific people instead. Being as far out as we were, it wasn't simple, but it was doable, even if it did take me a few moments. I pointed to the right, towards the far corner of the closest island, the one that held the most auras, including those of the fishmen. "There's a mass of stronger auras that way, around the other side of the island, which I'm guessing is Arlong and his crew. There are a few more scattered about, but not many. I doubt they're all that concerned with keeping a watch on things, thinking they're strong enough not to have to." Which I was grateful for but which was going to bite them in the ass in a big way. "It feels as if Nami is with them. Usopp is farther inland, just ahead of us."

I glanced down to the map held in my grasp, the very map Nami had been working on before everything had happened. Squinting down at it, I could see an inlet that led a fair distance into the island, going in much the same direction I could sense Usopp, and decided this would be our best course of action. Especially since, as of right now, there didn't seem to be any other strong auras coming from that area.

The others had no objections, allowing me to guide the Merry forward as quickly as possible. I made sure to keep my senses open in order to avoid all other auras I felt along the way and, within under an hour, we'd reached a passably hidden dock far within the trees, though it looked very close to breaking apart, rotted as it was. It was obvious that it hadn't been used in quite some time and thus hadn't been taken care of, most likely because the Arlong Pirates would have forbid anyone from coming here without their approval. Too bad for them they'd grown complacent and we were more than willing to take complete advantage of it.

Once we had the Merry situated and had packed whatever supplies we may need - mostly bandages and medicine, which had Zoro rolling his eyes like a sullen teenager - we were off. I was once more in the lead, being that I had the most reliable Observation. We'd been able to dock fairly close to where I figured Nami's sister's tangerine field was, as it likely used the water that ran from this inlet, and it wouldn't take us too long to get there, hopefully.

"Can you feel them?" I asked Luffy as we went. When he cocked his head at me in question I elaborated, "The fishmen. They're a bit farther away, but they're powerful enough that you should be able to sense them."

In response, he closed his eyes, pouting his lip out in concentration even as he continued to walk forward. Zoro was watching him expectantly while Sanji just looked intrigued. We'd explained the basics of Haki to him while we'd been heading this way but he'd yet to really see it, beyond what he'd unknowingly witnessed in the fight against Krieg and his underlings. Finally, after a few moments, Luffy huffed out a breath. "Kind of? I can tell that they're strong, even from here, but they're really far away."

I nodded, unsurprised. "We need to keep training." I told him seriously. "We're not working as hard on it as we did before and so we're not making any progress."

"Yeah, I was hoping the fights we got into would count for training," he admitted with a grimace. "But so far all the people we've fought have been pretty weak, even if they _were_ super annoying."

"Hopefully one of the others awakens their's soon." I darted my eyes between our other two crewmates. I was fairly sure Zoro would awaken Armament first, as he definitely seemed the type. I was unsure about Sanji, but figured it would probably be Armament for him as well. Nami and Usopp would likely both be Observation. Which would leave our crew fairly balanced, something I was happy about. It would also mean that, in most cases, we'd be able to pair up weaker members with stronger ones, at least until the others built up a bit more strength.

"Hey!" I jumped at my brother's sudden outburst and shot him a distinctly unimpressed stare. He payed me no attention, though, bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking like Christmas had come early. "I can sense Usopp!"

"Wait, Luffy, don't -" But it was no use. Without even letting me finish, he'd taken off like a shot, racing up the hill we'd been climbing. As he disappeared over the top, I let out a deep sigh. "That idiot."

"Don't you worry, Lily-chan, I'll beat that shit-for-brains for you~!" And with that, Sanji was off after him, sweeping into a bow for me before he went.

"Great, just what we needed, _another_ idiot," Zoro grumbled, looking completely unsurprised by this turn of events. Which, really, I should've seen it coming.

"One of these days," I muttered, "we're going to get a crewmate that actually listens."

The swordsman's only response to that was to shoot me a pitying look which, yeah, I wasn't all that hopeful for it, either, honestly.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, mostly because I could see Zoro's energy flagging by the minute and knew he wouldn't be all that up to any kind of conversation. I was pretty surprised he'd made it this far, really, but maybe I shouldn't have been. Zoro was nothing if not stubborn.

Cresting the hill, we caught our first look at Nami's childhood home and the field of tangerine trees planted before it. Even from here, the sweet tangy scent permeated the air. The home itself was small, but quaint, and looked like a nice place to grow up. Of course, I knew this place was stained in blood and bad memories, as well.

Up ahead, the door appeared to have been busted down, something I couldn't help but sigh over. I wouldn't put it passed my brother to have kicked it down in his excitement. Though, I supposed I should've just been grateful he hadn't gone straight through the wall like Gramps would've.

"What's that idiot doing now?" Zoro asked when the sound of hoots and hollers made its way to us, sounding equal parts excited and angry. From what I could feel, the anger seemed to be coming from Sanji and Usopp while my brother was still ablaze with pure happiness. Now that we were closer, I could recognize Johnny and Yosaku as well, both feeling happy to see their Zoro-aniki again. And with them all was a person I didn't know, who must've been Nami's sister, feeling exasperated and amused.

Walking into the house, it was easy to understand why. Luffy had his rubbery arms wrapped around our sniper tightly, practically squeezing the life out of the poor guy - who was beginning to look faintly blue - while Sanji threw kick after kick at him for destroying the property of such a beautiful lady, growing ever more annoyed when none of his hits landed. In trying to berate Lu for breaking things, he was making an even bigger mess, something he didn't seem to be paying much attention to.

"I am so sorry," I said to the blue-haired woman watching on from the sidelines, looking unimpressed. "I wish I could say we're usually more respectable than this but, well... that would be lying."

"It's no trouble," she shrugged at me. "It wouldn't be the first time rowdy pirates made a mess of this place."

I winced, because it wouldn't, but to be compared to Arlong and his gang was more than a bit insulting. " _Luffy_. If you keep on like that, Usopp's gonna die."

"Usopp's gonna die?!" He dropped the now _very_ blue sniper like a sack of potatoes, leaving him to gasp back into consciousness on the ground. "Sorry!"

"I'm gonna kill you," the long-nosed boy wheezed, though he made no move to carry out the threat.

"Anyway," I cut in before they could cause any more havoc. "Sorry for barging in like this. The idiot over there is our captain, Luffy. I'm Lily, this is Zoro and the blond guy noodling about is Sanji."

"Nojiko," the woman introduced, gracing us with a smirk even as she crossed her arms, putting her tattoos on clear display. "I'm guessing you're the ones Nami told me to look out for."

"That'd be us," I agreed.

"Nami?" Luffy demanded, head popping up from where he'd been kneeling, poking at Usopp's lifeless form on the floor. It seemed he'd only just noticed that, as excited as he was to be reunited with a member of his crew, there was still one missing. "Where is she?"

"She's taking care of some business," Nojiko answered cryptically. When that wasn't good enough, Luffy looked towards me instead.

"She's still where she was before," I told him, pointing in the direction I guessed Arlong Park was situated. "She's surrounded by some pretty strong auras, so she's probably with Arlong and his crew."

"Why would she be with them?" Luffy asked, wrinkling his nose. "Didn't you say they were bad guys?"

"Why wouldn't she be with them?" Nojiko asked. "She is a part of their crew, after all."

"No way!" In seconds, the rubber boy was on his feet. "She can't be! She's my navigator!"

"Hate to break it to you, kid, but she's not your crewmate. She's been with the Arlong Pirates for a long time."

"I thought she hated pirates?" Zoro asked as he tried to discretely lower himself into a chair. He had to be in a lot of pain after that walk and was probably really tired, too, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. Even most of his bandages were hidden by the shirt he wore. Still, I could see the way Usopp was eyeing him from where he'd finally sat up, clearly sensing that something was off about the man.

"I'm guessing she didn't tell you much, then? About what happened here?" Nami's sister asked, looking unsurprised when we all shook our heads.

"Just that she was trying to save up money to buy a town. I'm guessing she meant the one down the other side of the hill, by the coast?" I asked. She nodded at me.

"Arlong promised he'd let it go, if she payed a hundred million beli for it. She's been working towards that goal ever since," she sighed. "It's been eight long years since then."

"Eight years?!" Johnny, Yosaku and Usopp all demanded. I raised my brow at them, because shouldn't they know all of this already? They'd been here for days and they hadn't even found out that much?

"Yep, ever since Arlong and his crew first set foot on this island, they've ruled it with cold-blooded efficiency. We can't fight back and there's no way the marines are going to help us. So there's really only one option at this point. And from what she's said, she's almost there." Her suddenly hardened gaze met each of ours as she said her next words. "So _don't_ go causing trouble. Nami told me to let you all stay here until she's done, and I will. But don't pick fights with the fishmen, don't even let them know you're here. Don't do anything that would make things worse for my sister. Got it?"

Without even waiting for a response, she picked up the large empty basket that had been resting by her feet and swept out of the house, heading towards the tangerine field. Silence reigned after her departure, broken only when Sanji let out a long exhale of smoke.

"So, the beautiful Nami-san is a part of the Arlong pirates, huh?" He asked before smiling in delight. "I wonder if that means she's a mermaid?!"

"I think we'd know if she was," I told him dryly.

"I don't want her to be a part of his crew," Luffy pouted. "She's _our_ navigator."

"She has to have a reason," Usopp pointed out rationally, apparently over having been almost suffocated. "From what we've heard so far, these fishmen guys are the real deal! They even destroyed an entire village not too long ago, and they killed nearly everyone there!"

"Arlong even went through and flipped all of the buildings over," Johnny told us.

Yosaku, nodding along, added, "All because a single person couldn't pay the tribute!"

"Tribute?" I asked when it became clear no one else would.

"Mm. Arlong makes them pay a hundred thousand for every adult and fifty for every child. If even a single person can't pay, he'll destroy the entire town," Usopp told me, looking sick at the very idea.

"That doesn't seem very smart," I muttered. "He's giving up anywhere from two to three million beli, all because _one_ person didn't have enough? How does that even make sense?"

"Yeah, not to mention all the people he's killing," Zoro agreed dryly, opening a single eye to show me just how unimpressed he was.

"Well, yeah," I shrugged, unrepentant. The whole death thing was horrible, I wasn't saying otherwise, but still. "It's just not very smart business management, okay?"

He huffed, one side of his mouth quirking up even as he simply settled more firmly into his chair and closed his eyes once more. Seeing how much energy he didn't have reminded me.

"I should probably change your bandages before you sleep," I told him, making my way over without waiting for his answer. Which, predictably, was more grumbling. "And you should have something to eat, too."

A look from me was all it took for Sanji to spin into action, hefting the bag of food he'd brought over to the tiny kitchen.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Usopp called, springing to his feet. The two bounty hunters looked equally alarmed. "Bandages? What happened?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," I told them, wincing a bit when Zoro removed his shirt and they saw that his entire torso was swathed in them. "And Zoro's a little bit of an idiot. But, well, he's an ambitious idiot, I guess. Which means he fits right in with the rest of us."

"Zoro fought this hawk guy that was _really_ strong!" Luffy told them and, though he was grinning, I could still see a bit of tension leftover from the incident. While he didn't regret letting Zoro handle it on his own, I knew he hated seeing the swordsman so injured. I felt exactly the same. "And he got all cut up and then fell in the ocean. I thought he was a goner for sure!"

"But he's stubborn, which was a good thing this time." I began unwinding the bandages slowly. Zoro's eyes were still closed and, while his mouth was downturned in clear displeasure, he didn't say anything about us telling the others what had happened. I could see he was a bit embarrassed over his loss but not enough to lash out at us, which I was thankful for. The experience hadn't left him in a good mood but it had given him a lot to think about. He knew now that, as strong as he thought he was, it was nothing compared to the might of the Grand Line. He still had a lot of growing to do.

"Wait, hawk guy?" Johnny asked, looking suddenly very pale.

"You don't mean Dracule Mihawk?" Yosaku demanded, panicking at the very thought.

Luffy, completely oblivious, snapped his fingers. "That was his name! I knew it was hawk something."

"I don't get it," Usopp admitted. "Who's Dracule Mihawk?"

" _Who_ -" Both bounty hunters whipped their heads around to stare at the sniper in disbelief. "He's a Shichibukai! And the World's Greatest Swordsman! How can you not know who he is?!"

"Well, he did grow up in a small village here in East Blue," I told them absently. "It's not too surprising he wouldn't know. I doubt they got many visitors there to tell them all about what was going on in the Grand Line. And he doesn't seem the type to read the paper."

"What's a shibuki?" Luffy asked, finger lodged solidly up his nose. I grimaced at him but said nothing, used to the disgusting habit after being around him, Ace and Gramps for so long.

"Shichibukai," I corrected him, sounding it out carefully so that he'd get it.

"Yeah, that," he agreed, looking back towards the bounty hunters for an answer. Only, they weren't paying attention anymore and neither was Usopp. Instead, all three of them were gaping at Zoro's now-bared chest. Or, more specifically, the three nasty looking wounds that adorned it. Looking at them myself, I admitted that to them, they had to look awful. The skin was still puckered and red, though the swelling had gone down dramatically. The wounds were slightly warm but not overly so, something I'd definitely been keeping an eye on. He hadn't gained a fever, either, which I took as a good sign. Along with the medicine smeared about, they'd begun leaking a clear discharge, something I'd freaked out over before remembering that it was likely only his white blood cells, which were good for healing, and as long as there wasn't a large amount, I'd decided not to worry about it overly much for now.

All in all, he looked multiple times better than he had that first day. Still, I could understand why they were staring at the man as if wondering how he was even still alive.

"A Shichibukai," I said when it became clear nobody else was going to answer - Sanji looked just as intrigued as my brother did, and it wasn't just because I was the one talking, "is a pirate endorsed by the World Government. There are seven of them and Mihawk is one of them. All of them are just as powerful as he is, relatively speaking, though I think he might be at the higher end of the spectrum."

"Endorsed by the World Government?" Sanji asked, sounding disbelieving. "Why would they endorse pirates?"

"Because the World Government can allow anything as long as they're the ones benefiting from it," I muttered, sounding bitter even to my own ears. Seeing the way both Zoro and Luffy frowned at my tone, I gave my head a quick shake and continued. "They allow them to go about, officially sanctioning their pirating, as long as they get a portion of the loot in return. Most people see them as the government's lap dogs but they're all very strong. Jinbe, the fishman I told you about before, is one of them as well."

"That's right!" Yosaku yelled, seeming to finally snap out of it. "That guy's just as strong as Mihawk, who was able to do this to Zoro-aniki! And Arlong used to be a part of his crew! That's how strong these guys are!"

"That's right, that's right!" Johnny nodded frantically in agreement. "So, it'd be for the best if we just wait for Nami-aneki to come back and then leave! There's no way we could take on guys like that!"

"To do this to Zoro, that guy would have to be a monster," Usopp said, looking distinctly terrified. His knees had begun to tremble. "We can't fight guys like that!"

"Of course we can," Luffy frowned, looking displeased. It obviously didn't sit well with him, the fact that they were doubting his strength. "That Arlong guy feels really strong, yeah, but I think I can beat him."

I hummed in thought, focusing on the aura I knew to belong to the fishman captain. I knew already, of course, that Luffy could beat him. He had before and that had been without the use of Haki. And I was certain that my brother was stronger than he'd been in canon. Still, Arlong was no slouch himself. He was a Grand Line pirate, after all, and a fishman no less, which gave him a distinct advantage. Especially with Arlong Park being on the water the way that it was.

"Luffy could probably beat him," I told them, which had the three scaredy-cats gaping at me in disbelief. Both Sanji and Zoro looked unsurprised, simply waiting for me to continue, while Lu was looking happy with my assessment. "It would be a hard fight, I think, but he should be able to win, if it comes down to it. We'd have to take care of his crew, though. If they all ganged up on him, he'd lose for sure."

"See?" Luffy said, grinning at Usopp, seemingly ignoring the second half of my statement. "There's no problem at all!"

"R-Right," the long-nosed boy agreed shakily before puffing up his chest dramatically. "Of course there's no problem! I, the Great Captain Usopp, once defeated an entire army of fishmen, with nothing more than a rock and a fishing pole!"

"Woah, _really_?!"

" _You liar!_ "

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back towards Zoro, dabbing some more ointment onto his cuts before reaching for the roll of clean bandages I'd set out on the table. Taking my time, I wound them around him, smoothing them out and making sure they were tight without being restricting. Sanji, in a show of good timing, placed a steaming bowl of what smelled like chicken noodle soup on the table just as I was finishing.

Zoro offered up a grudging thanks to the chef while giving me a slightly less grudging head nod of appreciation. Satisfied, I left him to sip at his meal, choosing instead to try corralling the others into some semblance of maturity. Luffy wasn't too hard, since he'd noticed food had been prepared and was all for settling down and stuffing his face. The bounty hunters and our sniper continued on until I lost patience and used my ' _mom voice_ ', as Zoro called it, which had them all obediently following my orders for the next hour.

I hoped that things moved along quickly, as I wasn't sure just how much of this I would be able to put up with.

.

* * *

.

Nami returned a few hours later, looking and feeling more exhausted than I'd ever seen her. I'd long since forced Zoro into the only bed, where he'd grumbled for a few minutes before falling into a deep sleep, one he'd yet to wake up from. As the navigator entered the house through the still-broken door, she cast a tired glare his way before marching towards the table instead, slouching into the seat Usopp hurriedly vacated for her.

"Nami?" I asked quietly. She barely had enough time to glance my way before a large Fruit Macedonia was placed before her, just like the one he'd provided for her at the Baratie.

"Nami, it's me! Do you remember me?" Sanji asked as he twirled about, grinning wide and looking like he could die happy in this very moment. "I came along and now we can sail together!"

"Ah... Sanji," she said after a moment's hesitation, clearly needing to dig a bit for his name. He didn't look at all offended by this. In fact, he looked positively delighted that she could remember at all. She worked up the effort to give him a smile and a, "Thank you."

He looked ready to pass out on the spot, he was so overjoyed. Thankfully, a snarky comment from Usopp had him abandoning his loverboy act and turning on the sniper instead, throwing insults as he went. I took the chance to scoot my chair closer to the girl at my side and, across the table, I could see Luffy doing the same. I could see the tension in his body, no doubt from holding himself back from rocketing at our navigator the moment she entered the room, and I was a bit proud of his restraint.

"You look really tired," he commented, grinning widely. Having all of us together again had definitely lifted his spirits. "You should take a nap."

"I would," she said dryly, annoyed, "but it looks like a certain directionless idiot has already beaten me to it."

"He got really injured after you guys left," I informed her, seeing the way her eyes widened and then narrowed at his slumbering figure, searching for any hint of his wounds. I knew the moment her gaze caught sight of the bandages peaking out from under his shirt as her fists clenched tightly around the fork she'd been holding. "He'll be fine, but he really does need the rest."

"You can just sleep with him," Luffy suggested, shrugging when Nami threw him an incredulous stare. The noise that had been going on in the background halted suddenly, because apparently Sanji had the ears of a bat when the virtue of a lady was being threatened, and before anyone could blink he was throwing a kick at my brother's head. He dodged it easily, of course, scrambling out of his seat and dancing around the hits that followed.

"How dare you suggest such a thing, you shitty captain?! The beautiful Nami-san should never have to lower herself to sharing a bed with that overgrown moss!" The blond snarled, becoming more angry the longer he failed to land a hit.

"But why?" Luffy asked, sounding genuinely confused. "Lili and I nap together all the time!"

Sanji froze once more, leg suspended in the air, his form shaking with what I could only guess was barely suppressed rage.

"It's true," I added helpfully. "The only time I'm really able to sleep is when I'm with Lu."

"They are disgustingly codependent," Nami informed him, though she looked more fond then annoyed by this.

"They really are," Usopp agreed, nodding sagely. Luffy merely gestured to the rest of us, as if to say ' _see?'_

All at once, the chef crumpled to the ground on his hands and knees like a marionette with its strings cut, a cloud of utter despair forming around him. "How could an idiot like him deserve someone as lovely as her?"

I frowned at his whimpered words, a bit put out that he thought Luffy didn't deserve to have someone like me in his life. When both Usopp and Nami began snickering, my frown only grew more severe. Throwing them an admonishing look, I said, "Lu's the best person ever. Of course he deserves me."

This only caused the navigator and sniper to laugh harder, Sanji growing even more dejected at my words. Luffy grinned at me, absolutely delighted.

At least Johnny and Yosaku both looked just as confused as I felt by what was going on.

It took a few minutes for the two to calm down their laughter, during which time Sanji had slumped back to the kitchen to prepare more food. He seemed excited to try out some tangerine-based recipes while he had the chance, though he was doing it with a bit less enthusiasm now.

Finally, Nami gave a long sigh. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time," she admitted, sounding sad even as she tried to quirk a smile at us. "I'm glad that I met you guys. I'm glad I was able to sail with you up until now."

"Up until now?" I asked, my gaze zeroing in on her even as I saw Luffy tense from the seat he'd reclaimed. Nami shook her head slowly, her gaze turning imploring.

"I can't leave," she told us, sounding desperate. "I'm so close, _so close_. I can't just leave now. I won't. So, you'll have to sail on to the Grand Line without me. I'm sorry for breaking our deal, but that's just how it has to be. I won't be going with you."

Silence reigned for a moment after this proclamation. The bounty hunting duo had left the room, clearly sensing that this was crew business. Usopp was gaping unattractively once more, Sanji was looking more distraught than ever, and I was feeling extremely frustrated. Luffy continued to sit quietly, unmoving, but he'd tilted his hat so that it was casting a shadow over his face, hiding it from view.

"I'm sorry that you all came here for nothing," she continued when nobody said anything, her gaze darting between my brother and I as she fidgeted. "But it's probably best if you leave soon. Staying here would only cause unnecessary trouble. If Arlong or any of his men find you, he'll kill you for sure."

"He won't," Luffy disagreed quietly. He glanced up, revealing his face to be perfectly blank but for the fire in his eyes. "Because I'll beat him to a pulp before he can."

"No!" The chair Nami had been sitting in skittered and fell as she jumped to her feet, slamming her hands onto the table in the process. The cup she'd been picking at, still half full, fell and shattered, sending fruit and whine splattering across the floor. I winced at the waste and saw Sanji doing the same out of the corner of my eye. "I've been working too hard for you to come in and screw it all up now! I don't need your help! This has absolutely nothing to do with any of you! From day one, I told you I wasn't going to join your crew! If you can't accept my choice, then you can _get out_!"

We all stared, wide-eyed, as she panted after her outburst, never once letting up the venomous glare she was shooting at my brother, who only looked back as blankly as he'd been throughout her entire tirade. Finally, he smiled softly at her, something that clearly threw her off guard, before slowly standing.

"Okay," he agreed quietly, making his way to the door. Before he stepped through it, he turned one last time so that she could see he was still smiling. "I'll be around, so just let me know if you need me for anything."

With one last look towards me, to which I gave him a nod, he was out the door and gone.

Now that the object of her ire was no longer there, Nami just looked very young and very lost. Still, before I could say anything, she was straightening her shoulders and reaffirming her emotionless mask. "I'm gonna go tend to the tangerines."

She stomped out of the house, refusing to look back as she followed in Luffy's footsteps. After the both of them were gone, Usopp let out a very long sigh.

"What are we supposed to do now?" He asked, directing the question towards me.

"I have to stay with Zoro," I told him, shrugging. "If you want to follow after either of them, be my guest. I'd stay away from Nami for the time being, though. She looked pretty mad."

"That's an understatement," an amused voice said dryly. Nojiko made her way inside, looking dusty and covered in dirt and sweat, but looking very used to being in such a state. "You all sure have my sister in a tiff. Just what did you do?"

"Our captain offered to beat Arlong up," I told her and watched as her eyes darkened, even as her smirk grew.

"Yeah, that would do it," she agreed, sighing as she gazed upon the mess that still covered the floor. Realizing the one who'd made said mess was no longer there to clean it up, I quickly knelt down and got to work, scooping it all up into my hands, mindful of the glass shards that were scattered about. I'd barely been at it for more than a few seconds when Usopp and Sanji both knelt to join me. Between the three of us, the mess was taken care of in no time and we once again found ourselves seated around the table, Nojiko taking Nami's recently vacated spot and Usopp taking Luffy's.

"Listen," the blue-haired woman started, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest, "I know you think you're only helping, but you're not. If anything, you'll only make things worse. We've had this situation handled for eight years now, living this life day in and day out, and Nami's almost reached her goal. If you endanger that now, she won't ever forgive you." She met each of our eyes, trying to press upon us the gravity of the situation, before sighing once more, sounding extremely tired. "Look, if I tell you just what it is that's going on here, will you promise to leave afterwards?"

"No," I told her honestly, simply shrugging when she glared at me. "Our captain is the one who makes that decision and, until he says otherwise, we're staying. But we _will_ listen to what you have to say."

"I guess that's the best I'm going to get," she muttered, running a dirt covered hand through her hair in agitation. She glanced towards Usopp and Sanji. "And you'll both listen, as well?"

"Yeah," Usopp agreed instantly, "I really wanna finally understand just what is going on."

"Me, too!" Sanji agreed, looking more like a puppy begging for affection than a man that could break bones with a single kick. She nodded at them both, looking deep in thought, trying to decide where to begin.

"Nami and I aren't blood related," she started with. "From what I've been told, Bell-Mere used to be a marine. During a battle, she was gravely wounded and close to dying. That's when she found us, the sole survivors. I was three and Nami was only about a year old. I don't remember any of that. But seeing us together and alive gave her the strength she needed to get up and to get us all to safety. She brought us back here in the middle of a horrific storm, determined that we would live. After that, she stayed here with us in this house, raising us as if we were her own."

Sanji placed a glass of water onto the table before her and she graced him with a wane smile, taking a sip of it before continuing.

"We lived nine years of our life here with her, happy. We didn't always have a lot of money, didn't have nice, new things, but we were happy anyway. And then one day, Nami and Bell-Mere got into a fight. Nami said some stupid things, said that we weren't her real family and that she wished she'd been adopted by a rich mother. I'd never seen Bell-Mere that mad before. Looking back on it now, I can't really blame either of them for it. But Nami took off and Bell-Mere sent me to get her, saying she'd have a nice meal waiting for us when we got back. Only, by the time I'd found Nami again, pirates had docked on our island and were demanding a tribute from everybody. Anyone who couldn't pay would be killed.

"We tried running back here as fast as we could, trying to get here before Arlong and his men did. The Doc stopped us just around the house, desperate to get us off the island before our existence was revealed. Because, you see, since Bell-Mere took us in in such an unconventional way, we'd never been officially listed as her children. As far as the village records were concerned, she was unmarried with no kids. The perfect out, seeing as there was no way she'd have enough money to pay for all three of us. She could use what little she had to buy her own life and Nami and I would be sent away off of the island, safe to live elsewhere.

"Only, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bring herself to say that we weren't her children, even if it meant she had to die. So, she gave the money she'd spent so long saving up over to Arlong in exchange for our lives, proudly proclaiming us as her children and accepting her fate. He killed her, right in front of us. Shot her in the head."

Usopp was looking distinctly green by this point, in no way helped by the way Nojiko was stating this all in a calm, even tone, as if discussing nothing more important than the weather. I could tell that wasn't the case, though. I could feel the _grief_ and _anger_ and _regret_ burning beneath her calm facade, sharp and painful even after all of these years.

"That wasn't enough for them, though. No, instead, when they realized how gifted Nami was in map making, they decided to take her with them. The villagers all fought, of course, desperate to not let her go. But it wasn't any use. No one stood a chance and the fishmen left them all bloody and near dead. They had her for days. I had no idea what to do at that point, with my mother dead and my sister taken. Gen and the others were determined to try again, to fight and to get her back, no matter what, even if they all ended up dead. That was when she came back, shaking and terrified but unharmed, but for the new tattoo she had on her arm, branding her as one of Arlong's crew."

I swallowed harshly, even knowing all of this already, at the imagery that invoked. At thinking of Nami, barely ten years old, being held down and _branded_.

"She told us she'd agreed to join their crew, to make maps for them, and in exchange they'd give her whatever she wanted. We were all angry of course, me most of all. I thought she'd betrayed us and, more than that, had betrayed Bell-Mere's memory. But that wasn't it. She'd sacrificed herself, for our sake. She'd made a deal with Arlong, you see, that if she could pay him a hundred million beli, he'd give her Cocoyashi Village and her freedom. Until then, she'd work for him and be a part of his crew. And that's what she's done, for eight long years. She's been beaten and broken and every single time she's stood back up and headed back out, with nothing pushing her along but the desperation to see us safe. To make sure that nobody she loved died in front of her like that ever again. And since that day, she's never shown a single person her tears or asked for help. Can you imagine how painful that had to have been for her?"

"So, in order to save her village," Usopp mumbled, trying to sniffle discretely, "she's forced herself to join the very guy that killed her mother..."

"How dare they?" Sanji seethed, grip white-knuckled on the counter. "How dare they cause my beloved Nami so much pain? I'll kill them!"

"Idiot!" Nojiko snapped, looking as if she would've hit him if he weren't so far away. "The whole point of me telling you all of this is so you'd understand why you _can't_ get involved!"

"Shh!" I hissed at them all, jumping to my feet. They all froze, staring back at me with wide eyes. "Someone's coming. Feels like fifteen people, at least. One of them feels like a rat."

"A rat?" Nojiko asked dubiously.

"Gen?" We heard Nami's voice call from outside, sounding bewildered.

"Chichichi, I am Captain Nezumi from the Marine's Sixteenth Branch," an unfamiliar, nasally voice answered, and each of us stiffened. "You must be Nami, the _criminal_."

"Criminal?" Nami asked, sounding amused. "I guess that's true, seeing as I'm a _pirate_ and all. As a Marine Captain, you should be well aware how unwise it would be to go against a member of Arlong's crew. He won't take it lightly if you harm me."

"Pirate? Why, I'd heard no such thing. I'd only heard that you were a thief. As the ones you stole from were pirates themselves, we have no need to press harsh charges against you," the Captain reassured her condescendingly. "But, you see, a crime is a crime. And those treasures once belonged to someone. As such, we've come to confiscate them in the name of the World Government, so that they may one day be returned to their rightful owners. Search the house."

The last bit was obviously an order, given with careless assurance that it would be carried out flawlessly. I could hear Nami protesting, even going so far as to attack a few of the officers, but there were more out there than she could handle on her own. As such, I began making my way toward the commotion, barely pausing long enough to give the others orders of my own.

"Stay here," I told them. "Make sure none of them get inside. Protect Zoro."

"What are you doing?" Nami was demanding as I exited her home, bo staff held tightly in her fists and marines on the ground around her. "Arlong is going around killing people and destroying entire towns! He's enslaved this entire island! And yet you're concerned over one petty thief? Is _that_ how your World Government prioritizes things?!"

"Pretty much," I told her as I came to a stop by her side, hands on my hips as I gazed upon the officers around us with cool indifference. Many of them stiffened in response, likely because I'd condensed my aura to barely a pinprick and, although I was a visible threat standing before them, their senses were still telling them that I wasn't there. It had the added benefit of creeping them all out, something I took enjoyment in, but it also assured me that wherever my brother was, he'd be making his way back now to see what was going on. "The World Government is pretty much useless. I wouldn't expect much from them, if I were you."

"Insolence!" Nezumi yelled, glaring at me. "Criminals shouldn't speak so high-handedly! Ignore them and continue the search!"

I stayed where I was as officers poured by me, confident that they wouldn't be making it within Nami's home anytime soon. The man I assumed to be Gen, the only other person here not dressed like a Marine, stood by just as stoically, hat tilted down to shadow his face even as the pinwheel attached to it continued to spin merrily.

"The people of this island have been waiting for the marines to help for years!" Nami yelled in disbelief. "And yet you've gone right passed them all with barely a glance and come straight for me?"

"Sir!" An officer called before Nezumi could answer, sketching a textbook perfect salute before he continued. "These tangerine fields seem rather suspicious."

"Well, dig them up, then," the Captain ordered, sounding bored. The man had barely taken a step towards them before Nami was there in all her rage-fueled glory.

" _Don't you dare touch Bell-Mere's tangerines!_ " She all but snarled. "I'll never let any of you have my money! That money is -"

"That money is for every resident of Cocoyashi Village!" Gen yelled suddenly, looking up to reveal a face riddled with scars and contorted in anger. "Do you still believe you have the right to take it?!"

"Gen...?" Nami asked, voice faint. "But how...?"

"I told him," Nojiko admitted easily as she came to stand on Nami's other side, glare directed solidly at the rat-faced marine before us. A glance back showed Sanji leaning casually in the broken doorway, cigarette hanging from his lips and arms crossed, daring anyone to try to get past him.

"We knew all along," Gen agreed, calming slightly as he turned towards our navigator. "We couldn't believe that you'd join Arlong like that and so we forced Nojiko to tell us the truth. But we pretended we didn't, not wanting our hopes to pressure you into staying if you ever wanted to get out."

"What is the meaning of this?" Nezumi asked, sounding inordinately amused. "Are you saying the entire village was aiding and abetting a known criminal, so I should arrest the lot of you?"

"They're saying that the government is hopeless," Nojiko argued. "So, we have no choice but to fend for ourselves. If you have no intention of helping, then get the hell out. Otherwise, Arlong will sink that ship of yours if you wait around too long."

"Arlong, sink my ship?" He chortled. "I do wonder about that."

"What?" Nami asked, blankly, her entire body going rigid.

"Have you still not found it?" Nezumi demanded of his men, ignoring her. "This isn't a needle in a haystack we're looking for! She should have a hundred million beli hidden around here! It'd be impossible not to find it!"

"How could you possibly know it was that much?!" Gen demanded.

"Oh?" The captain asked, surprised, before laughing it off. "I simply had a feeling it would be that much."

"Nami?" I asked quietly. I wasn't about to make a move without her say-so, at least not until it became necessary. Doing otherwise would only make her feel more powerless in this situation, something she definitely did not need. As far as I was concerned, she was calling the shots right now. She, however, paid me no mind, too caught up in her anger.

"It can't be! Was this Arlong's idea?!" She demanded.

"I wouldn't go that far," Nezumi hedged, looking smug. "It is, after all, the duty of the marines to persecute thieves, is it not?"

"You _corrupt_ -"

"How could marines let themselves be ordered around by a pirate?!"

"Take them away," he ordered, seemingly done with this conversation as he turned away from us with barely a wave of his hand. "They're hindering our search."

"Sir!" Three officers jumped to attention, each of them raising their guns. I could see no hesitation in their eyes and knew they would feel no guilt if they killed one of us here today.

Just what the hell was wrong with the marines in this sea? Maybe a call to Gramps _wouldn't_ wait until we were safely in the Grand Line.

Seeing that Nami was too enraged to do much beyond stand there and shake, her sister and Gen not far behind, I did the only thing I could think to do as the only other alternative was waiting around for someone to get shot. Which wasn't an option, for obvious reasons.

And so, with that thought in mind, I leapt forward, palming a small knife from my belt as I went. It was the work of seconds, barely, and I had all three men on the ground, crying out as they clamped onto their now bloody arms and wrists. I'd avoided hitting anything major, because I'm nice like that, but they still wouldn't be using their hands for anything anytime soon, that was for sure.

"You - You - !" I glanced up to see Nezumi glaring at me even as he stumbled away, finally looking afraid for the first time. Seeing how easily I'd put his men down, it seemed to have finally dawned on him that maybe he didn't have as complete control of this situation as he thought he did.

"Me," I agreed pleasantly, even as I made a show of wiping the blood from my knife. Something I'd regret later, when I had to wash it out of my jacket but, hey, it looked bad ass in the moment.

"How dare you? I am a Marine Captain! Do you have any idea what you've just done, attacking my officers?!"

"Hi there, name's Lily, I'm a _pirate_ ," I introduced dryly. "I don't really give a shit if you're a marine or not."

"Criminal!" He screeched. "You're a criminal!"

"Probably less of one than you are," I smirked at him coldly. "How would headquarters take it if they knew you'd been accepting bribes from under the table? By a pirate, no less. A _fishman_ pirate! We all know how the World Government does so love their racism."

"Th-They'd never believe you! You're just a no good criminal!" He argued, though he was clearly sweating now. "They'd never believe your word over that of one of their own captains!"

"Hm," I tapped my chin as if in thought, before quoting his own words back at him. "I do wonder about that."

It seems I'd pushed too far, though, as in response to my taunt, he drew his own gun and fired before even aiming. It was only because of my Haki that I was able to estimate the trajectory and jump in the way before the bullet found its way into Nami's chest, pushing her aside just in time for it to tear through my upper right arm instead before embedding itself harmlessly into the ground, leaving a trail of my blood behind.

" _Lily!_ "

The next second found me standing before the terrified captain, snarl twisting at my lips as I wrenched the gun from his hands, hearing more than a few bones crack in the process.

"Fire at my crewmate again," I told him, voice as cold as ice, "and it'll be the last time _you have hands_. Got it?"

He squeaked, sounding suspiciously like his namesake, before seeming to decide it would be best to cut his loses. He took off running, not even bothering to recall his men or to see if they were following. They dithered for a moment, clearly torn between being terrified of me or getting their hands on the treasure they knew to be here somewhere, before deciding that going after their commanding officer was probably the best course of action.

Within moments, the chaos of before was gone, leaving only silence in its wake. That didn't last long either, however, as Nami was soon at my side, forcing me to the ground, all the while clamping her hands tightly to my wound.

"You idiot!" She admonished harshly, looking to be on the verge of a breakdown. "Why would you do something like that?!"

"Better my arm than your heart," I told her honestly. This answer didn't seem to appease her very much, though.

"Better you not getting hurt at all! What if you'd jumped a little further?! You would've been killed!"

"I didn't really think about it," I admitted. "I just knew that if I didn't move, you'd definitely die. So."

"You're still an idiot," Zoro's voice came from behind me. Glancing back, wincing a bit when it pulled at my wound and ignoring Nami's sharp reprimand, I found him kneeling next to me, fond pride clear in his murky, sleep-dazed green eyes. It was clear that he approved, regardless of being upset that I'd been injured, even if he never said as much.

"I'll kill that rat bastard for sure," Sanji snarled, looking as angry as he had when Gin had held a gun to his mentor's head. "How dare he fire at defenseless ladies like that?! And to hurt Lily-chan!"

"Yeah, that guy was definitely an asshole," Usopp agreed, dropping down in front of me with my bag in hand, pulling out bandages as he went. "Kind of wish you'd done more than scare him off."

"This isn't some joke!" Nami screamed suddenly, looking fed up with the lot of us. "This was never your business to begin with! You had no right to get involved like that!"

I barely had time to blink at her before familiar hands were taking hold of my face and tilting it forward once more, bringing my gaze to rest solidly upon my brother's darkened face. Usopp's indignant squawk followed soon after, as Luffy subsequently shouldered him out of the way to take the place directly in front of me.

"Lily?" There were a barrage of questions phrased into that one word, his eyes roving over me and coming to rest on Nami's bloody hands still clamped tightly around my arm. "I felt you compress your aura. And then there was pain."

"We had a bit of a disagreement with some marines," I told him, smiling as gently as I could when I saw his disapproval at my light-hearted phrasing. "I'm okay, really. It barely grazed me. Blood loss isn't too bad, though I still need to get it bandaged. All in all I should be fine in a few days."

"A few days?!" I heard multiple voices demand incredulously, Nami and Usopp the loudest of them all.

Luffy gazed back at me silently, looking for the truth of my words in my eyes, before finally nodding, trusting me to be honest about this with him. "Okay. Take it easy, though."

"Aye, aye, Captain," I agreed, knocking my forehead gently against his before leaning back, making room for Usopp to move back in with the bandages. Satisfied that I was being taken care of, though still unhappy that I'd been injured in the first place, Luffy backed up to give him more room before turning his grin on Nami.

"Hey, Nami!" He greeted. To the others, he probably seemed utterly oblivious to her rage, but I could hear the near-pleading in his voice when he asked, "Need any help?"

This seemed to be what finally set her off. Lunging forward, she took a tight grip of his shirt and shook him, snarling right into his face, "I told you all to leave! This has nothing to do with you! Just get off of this island!"

With that said, she jumped to her feet and took off, heading directly towards Arlong Park.

" _Nami!_ " Nojiko and Gen both called out, desperate, but she didn't slow down or look back and, after only a moment, was out of sight. They both sighed.

"This has gone on long enough," Gen spoke quietly, seemingly only to himself. "We've endured for eight years, putting our faith in that girl. But this has taken it too far. No more."

"No more," Nojiko agreed and, looking at them both, the fire in their eyes was obvious for everybody to see.

"We might not be able to do much but we can fight," the scarred man nodded once, decisive, before turning to meet my eyes. Then his gaze shifted towards my brother, seeming to recognizing him as the leader of the rest of us. "Please. Take Nami and leave this island. She deserves more than the life she's been forced to live here, for our sake."

His piece said, he rose to his feet and made his way back towards town. Nojiko threw us one last look before quickly following after. And then it was just us Straw Hats.

"What now?" Usopp asked, voice shaking even as his hands remained steady.

Luffy shook his head, gazing in the direction Nami had run. "We can't do anything until she says so."

"Why not?" Zoro asked. He didn't sound argumentative, merely curious.

"Yeah, why?" Sanji demanded, definitely sounding argumentative. "We should be storming their place now! They've cause my beloved Nami-san so much pain!"

"Exactly," I agreed softly, sighing when they only looked more confused. "They've caused _Nami_ pain. And she's been dealing with it, all this time, as best as she could. If we were to go in now and beat Arlong and his men, she wouldn't thank us for it. Because then it would be _us_ that made all these years of suffering worthless. It would be _us_ putting the villagers she's fought so hard to protect in danger. And she wouldn't ever forgive us for that."

"So, until she asks for our help," Luffy told them, voice heavy with the weight of the command, "we don't get involved."

"It's all well and good to say that _now_ ," Usopp grouched, tying off the bandage a bit more tightly than was strictly necessary. "After Lily's already gone and challenged the marines."

"That was different!" I disagreed. "Nami's life was in danger. Besides, I went against the _marines_ , not Arlong."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled in response. Ignoring him, I turned back towards Luffy.

"She'll probably head to the village, where they're all gearing up for war. We should wait for her there."

Luffy nodded, reaching out to help me to my feet. Sanji grumbled dejectedly behind us, probably having wanted to do that himself, while Zoro and Usopp quietly fell in line with us. I could sense the air of determination surrounding all of us, even as our sniper's knees shook and Zoro's eyes narrowed in the effort to ignore the throbbing of his wounds.

Together, we went to wait for our navigator.

.

* * *

.

Arriving in the village, we found a veritable mob gathered, each villager wielding anything they could conceivably use as a weapon.

"Eight years ago," Gen was saying, his voice carrying throughout the entire, otherwise silent, town, the people all hushed to hear what he had to say, "we swore not to throw our lives away! That, as long as Nami could endure, we could as well! And this is how we've been repaid! Now that we know our only chance of liberation is but a pipe dream, there is no longer any hope for this island! We will never forgive those fishmen, who dared to toy around with the kindness of that girl! Any objections?!"

"Of course not!"

"We've always been prepared to fight!"

"As if any of us could continue on like this after what they've done!"

" _WAIT!_ " The villagers turned as one, eyes wide as they found Nami standing before them. Her eyes and face were red, the tear tracks still clearly visible, but still, she was able to force a bright smile, regardless of how shaky it was. She held her arms out in supplication. "Please, wait a little more! I'll try my best again, so please!"

She forced a laugh, and I wasn't the only one who winced at just how painful it sounded.

"I promise, I'll raise the money again, even if it gets taken! It'll actually be easier this time! And I'll hide it better, I promise!" She tried to reassure, not seeming to notice the way every single villager had started to cry for her sake. At least, not until Gen marched forward and took a solid grip on her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"That's enough," he told her quietly. "You know that the outcome of that would be no different. You've carried our hope alone for long enough. You've fought splendidly! I know that working with them had to have been more painful than anything I could imagine. You fought so well."

"Gen..." Nami mumbled, tears springing forth to her eyes, and I clenched my fists at the sight of them.

Slowly, the man released her from his embrace, looking her solidly in the eyes as he said, "You can now leave this village behind you."

"What?" She demanded, flinching away. "But -"

"Nami," Nojiko stepped forward, smiling at her little sister the way only an older sibling could. "You've got what it takes to survive out there. Besides, you've got a dream to fulfill, don't you?"

"No!" Within seconds, Nami had a knife clasped in her hands. I blinked when I saw it, patting at my belt to confirm what I could already see. The little idiot had filched one of my knives, likely while applying pressure to my gunshot wound. My amusement far outweighed any annoyance I could feel, even when I noticed Luffy snickering beside me, likely having noticed the same thing.

This was definitely a ' _tables turned_ ' kind of situation, one I'd never found myself in before and one I'd likely be experiencing a lot from now on.

"Please, stop!" Nami begged. "I don't want to see any of you hurt by them ever again! You'll die, you know!"

"We know," Gen answered calmly, reaching out and grasping the blade in her hand, unmindful of the blood that began to seep as it cut into his skin. Having sharpened it myself, I knew it was likely cutting deep.

"It's no use!" An old man called from the crowd, rousing a murmur of shouted agreements. "Our hearts are set!"

"Now, move out of our way, Nami!" Gen yelled before lifting his sword and marching onward. "Let's go! Even if we may not win, let's show them that our spirits are far from broken!"

As they left, Nami slowly sunk to her knees, bottom lip clenched tightly between her teeth.

"Arlong," she whimpered, her hand coming up to grip at the tattoo on her shoulder. Lifting her head, I could see that she'd lost the fight against the tears that were now streaming down her face. I knew the instant her gaze landed upon the knife that had been dropped to the ground, as _violence_ and _hate_ suddenly spiked the air.

"Luffy," I whispered urgently but was too late as, within the next instant, Nami was stabbing the blade into her arm, slicing at every inch of skin bearing his mark that she could reach, all the while screaming his name with as much loathing as I'd ever heard come from another person.

My brother wasted no time in racing to her side, taking a tight grip of her wrist in order to stop her from harming herself any further.

"Luffy..." She stared at him in shock before slumping to the ground. "What is it?" She asked tiredly. "You don't know the first thing about anything!"

"Nope," he agreed calmly. "I don't know anything."

"This has nothing to do with you!" She dug her hands into the dirt beneath her, flinging it back at Luffy's unmoving form. "Didn't I already tell you to leave?!"

"Yeah, you did."

Nami curled even further into herself, her shoulders hitching with sobs as she lost control of the emotions she'd fought so long to hide from even herself.

"Luffy..." She whimpered, glancing back at him, her tear stained, despair-riddled face on complete display as she begged, " _help me_."

That was all my brother needed to hear. In the next moment his hat, his most treasured possession, was placed upon her head and he was marching forward, ready to get this beatdown started.

" _Of course we'll help you!_ "

"Luffy..."

"Let's go," he commanded, before pausing before Zoro and I, clearly unsure of what to do with us both in our injured state.

"Zoro should stay with Nami," I told him, crossing my arms when the swordsman made to protest. "No! She needs someone to help her with her injury and you're in far worse shape than I am!" Turning back to meet my brother's gaze, I said, "You'll have to take one of us. I know you can feel how strong Arlong and his crew are. You won't be able to beat him with just the three of you."

He deliberated for a moment before saying, clearly unhappy, "Zoro, stay with Nami. Lily, you're with me, but _take it easy._ "

Zoro huffed, as displeased with the order as Luffy was with giving it, but fell back towards our navigator nonetheless. Luffy waited until I nodded, acknowledging his order, before continuing on his way, expecting the rest of us to fall in line. Which we did.

"Let's go beat the shit out of some overgrown fish."

.

* * *

.

I wasn't surprised when we arrived at Arlong Park only to find the villagers all being barred entrance by none other than Johnny and Yosaku, though I was confused. I had no idea how they'd known to come here, since last I'd seen of them, they'd been retreating from our crew drama. And yet here they were, obviously having had the stuffing beat out of them, and refusing to let anyone pass.

Until they saw us, that is. Then they moved aside easily, pleased that we'd finally made it.

Luffy spared them barely a glance before cocking his fist back, his skin covered in obsidian up to the elbow, and ramming it straight into the giant gate blocking our way. The metal gave way like nothing more than wet tissue paper, sailing forward and crashing into the wall just to the side of Arlong's so-called _throne_.

"Who," Luffy asked, staring at the lot of them in seeming disinterest, "is the one called Arlong?"

"That would be me," the only fishman sitting answered, sounding equally as bored.

"I'm Luffy," my brother greeted and, had it been any other situation, I would have broken formation just to roll my eyes.

"Luffy? And just what the hell are you?"

"A pirate." With that, he began to make his way forward, paying no heed to the fishmen that attempted to stop him beyond bashing their skulls together to get them out of his way.

"And what would a pirate want with me?" Arlong asked, annoyance finally seeping into his tone as he grit his sharpened teeth.

Luffy didn't answer with words, instead driving his fist forward once more, socking Arlong solidly in the cheek and sending him flying, much to the astonishment of everyone else watching.

"Don't you _dare_ ," Luffy snarled, and I hadn't seen him look this pissed since Bluejam had tried to convince us Sabo had only ever been faking, "make my navigator cry!"

"Why, you!" The rest of Arlong's crew finally seemed to break out of their surprise, charging at my brother as one. Of course, there was no way Sanji and I were going to let them get away with that.

"Small fry, just get the hell back!" Sanji yelled, kicking the lot of them away.

"None of you are worthy of taking on our captain," I told them as I sliced my way through, coming to stop once more at my brother's side.

"Jeez, running in alone head-first like that," the chef grumbled, cigarette clenched between his teeth in annoyance.

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna lose," Luffy assured him, sounding as if it were obvious, never once removing his gaze from the captain before him who'd still yet to stand back up.

"I ain't worried about you, dumbass!" Sanji yelled, annoyed. "I only meant that you shouldn't hog all the glory for yourself!"

"Oh."

"I d-don't mind e-either way, L-Luffy!" Usopp stuttered as he came to rest behind us, hands placed valiantly on his hips and goggles lowered down over his eyes.

I snickered at him, "How considerate of you."

"Just who the hell are these guys?"

"I've never seen any of them before!"

"What the hell are they doing here?"

"Just what kind of business do you have with me?" Arlong demanded, clearly running out of patience.

"You made our navigator cry," Luffy repeated like he was talking to an idiot, something Arlong definitely didn't appreciate if the way he glared was any indication. "And for that, I'm gonna beat the shit outta you."

Murmurs from the bounty hunters and villagers behind us seemed to fill in the rest of the blanks for the fishman, as he started laughing.

"So, you've come to take Nami as your own, have you?" He asked, greatly amused. "What could four measly humans do?!"

"That's right!" An octopus fishman from beside him - Hachi? - yelled before grasping his elongated mouth as if it were a trumpet. "As if the likes of you would be good enough to fight Arlong! I'll turn you all into fish food! Come out, beast!"

Panic spiked from behind us, the villagers obviously knowing what that meant and thinking it was nothing good. Apparently, whatever it was was a monster from the Grand Line that had destroyed the entirety of a neighboring village. Based on this, I was expecting something a little more threatening than a sea cow to pop up out of the water, even as memories of this blossomed in my mind.

Only, last time, they'd been on a small ship, right? Luffy, Sanji and Yosaku? And they'd encountered it out at sea, beating it up and using it to get here faster. Obviously, that hadn't happened this time. In fact, I'd actually forgotten about the beast completely.

"Aw," I cooed, looking at its chubby face. "It's adorable!"

"That thing's a monster!" Usopp screamed, looking at me like I'd lost my mind. He wasn't able to say much more as, with a single command, the giant Sea Cow roared, rearing its head and clearly preparing to squash us all flat. The cannon fodder fishmen, emboldened, charged as well, something that had Sanji and I smirking at them in challenge.

"Don't worry!" Luffy called to us, halting our own counterattack before it had even begun, and I had a very bad feeling about this. "I'll take care of these time wasters!"

"No, Lu, don't -" I tried to shout, too late, as he'd already drilled one of his feet into the stone floor. I groaned, slumping over and running my hands through my hair in annoyance. "Why, _why_ do you never listen to me?"

"I listen to you, Lily-chan!" Sanji assured me instantly, causing me to sigh.

"I'd be way too afraid not to listen to you," Usopp added, which made me feel a little better, at least.

Luffy, continuing on with the whole _not listening_ thing, drove his other foot into the stone before spinning his upper body in circles, winding himself up. Once he was sufficiently twisted, he stretched his arms out to take a tight grip on the sea cow's horns, allowing the surrounding fishmen only a moment to widen their eyes as they realized what was coming, before allowing himself to unravel. The beast spun about with him, knocking into all that surrounded it and sending them flying, and I barely had the time to grab Usopp and Sanji by the scruff of their necks and haul them back before they were taken out along with the rest.

In the span of a few seconds, he'd knocked out all but four of the fishmen.

"I didn't come here to fight these small fry!" Luffy proclaimed, pointing his finger unerringly through the dust directly to where Arlong still sat. "The one I came to fight is you!"

" _Idiot!_ "

"Are you trying to kill us, too?!"

It was while Sanji and Usopp were bopping my brother over the head that I saw the realization flash across his face and the rubber boy gulped, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth and looking like he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. Which, all things considered, was fairly accurate.

I sighed at him. "You're stuck, aren't you?"

His sheepish face was really all the answer that I needed.

"Looks like we'll have to deal with this ourselves."

"How dare you hurt our brethren?!"

"These humans need a lesson on the differences between our races."

"Well, this is bound to be interesting," I muttered, kneeling down to get a better look at where my brother had shoved his feet into the floor. I tugged on one of his ankles, not really surprised when all it did was stretch ineffectually. "We'll have to break the stone, since pulling you out obviously isn't going to work."

"Don't just ignore us!" The octopus yelled, annoyed. "Take this! Zero Field of Vision: Tako-Hachi Black!"

"Octopus ink?!" Sanji yelled, diving to the side to dodge, while Usopp yelled and ran. I ducked and rolled, avoiding most of it by using my brother as a shield, though a few droplets still splattered onto me. Above me, Luffy began yelled as the ink got into his eyes, since he hadn't actually thought to close them.

"I can't see! I can't see!" He whined, rubbing at his face with equally drenched hands, which did nothing.

"You don't have to _see_ , dummy!" I yelled at him as Hachi stepped up to him, giant slab of concrete in hand. "Shit! Sanji!"

"Dodge it, Luffy!" Usopp cried, panicked.

"I can't!" My brother yelled back, just as the concrete came down and buried him.

"Tako-Hachi Black: On the Rocks!" Hachi announced, looking satisfied. It only lasted a moment, of course, as the rocks broke into nothing but rubble, revealing my still-trapped brother and our cook, who had his hands in his pockets and his leg lifted high into the air.

"Looks like I chose to follow an idiot of a captain," he commented as he lowered his foot back to theground, taking the cigarette from his mouth and letting out a cloud of smoke. He smirked. "Still, at least he's not the type to harm a lady, unlike you shitheads."

"You're not too bad for a human," the ray fishman complimented, arms crossed over his chest. "But to talk about chivalry while being a pirate? How half-assed."

"Sanji," I called before the cook could respond to the taunt. His attention zeroed in on me, as I'd known it would, completely disregarding the fishman who'd been speaking. A fishman that now looked less than pleased. "Can you kick the ground over here? I don't think Luffy's feet are going to come out otherwise."

"Right away, Lily-chan~!" He spun back to my brother's side, glancing at the ground consideringly before drawing his leg up. His downward thrust was interrupted, though, when the fishman he had so readily ignored grabbed his foot out of the air. I could tell that he'd intended on following through and sending Sanji flying, but while the cook didn't seem quite able to escape the grip, he wasn't about to let himself be tossed around so easily.

"Foolish," the fishman snapped, scowling. "You humans are even more stupid than I had thought. You shouldn't turn your back on us so easily."

I sighed, frustrated. That would've been the fastest, easiest solution, but obviously wanting anything to be simple was out of the realm of possibility. So, instead, I drew back my own fist. Hardening was still something that I had a lot of trouble with, when using haki, and I didn't really want to use that now either way. Arlong and his crew might not have displayed any ability to use haki during this fight and they might have lost a lot of their edge by slumming it here in the East Blue but they were still Grand Line pirates from Fishman Island. It was very likely that at least one of them would recognize it and that might mean taking us all completely seriously from the get-go, instead of just acting all high and mighty like they currently were.

Luffy could handle it if they did and Sanji and I probably could, too. I didn't think that Usopp could, though, and there was also a large crowd of far weaker bystanders to consider as well. Given that, just a weak layer of Armament around my fist would work just fine.

I punched the ground and watched as the concrete cracked but didn't quite break. I was pulling back for another hit when my Observation warned me just in time to avoid Hachi.

"I said not to ignore us!"

"It's not my fault you're ignorable," I snarked even as I switched my focus towards him, instead, confident that Luffy could get himself out of there on his own now, and punching out at whatever I could reach while doing my best to avoid all eight arms gunning straight for me.

It became clear fairly quickly that whatever I knew about anatomy didn't apply here. All the places I'd hit so far would have, on a human, had him gasping and flinching, would have cracked or broken a few bones already. Hachi was looking like he barely felt them at all.

I grit my teeth. That was incredibly annoying.

I was distracted for a moment as Usopp went tearing out of the compound, the fishman with the long mouth hot on his trail, and it almost cost me when I barely dodged a punch that likely would have caved my entire rib cage in.

The cracking of stone echoed from behind me and I felt my shoulders loosen a bit. Luffy had gotten himself free, as I'd hoped he would, which meant I didn't have to worry about him right now. So long as we kept the others busy, he should be able to handle the other captain on his own.

Still, Hachi was strong. Really strong. And yeah, Zoro had been able to defeat him fairly easily in canon even while gravely injured but Zoro also dead-lifted the Merry's anchor on a daily basis without looking the least bit strained by it. I was stronger than most people, true, but I'd likely never have that amount of raw strength. I just wasn't built for it the way he was. I was built for speed and that was what I'd trained for. Giving quick, damaging attacks while slipping around any return blows.

Except, my attacks weren't doing me much good, here.

Still, with my Observation and speed, twisting my way around his arms was child's play, even if there were six of them, as was getting within his guard. It was actually doing damage while I was there that was proving to be a challenge.

Running out of patience, I twisted around his body, standing back to back with him. Reaching over my shoulder, I took ahold of the back of his shirt and _heaved_ , throwing his over me and straight through a wall.

Keeping my eyes on the hole he'd disappeared through, sensing that he was still very much conscious, I began shaking my hands out, which had begun to go a bit numb with all the fruitless punches I'd been throwing, and took a second to check on everybody else.

Usopp had gotten farther away than I would have expected and was now obviously terrified. The fishman that had chased him felt more annoyed than anything and I hoped that meant he'd let his guard down. The sniper had won that fight on his own last time around and it had been a big victory for him, one his self-esteem had desperately needed.

Sanji was going blow-for-blow with the stingray guy and looked to be holding his own just fine, though he'd clearly taken some damage. Luffy felt extremely annoyed, a quick peek revealing why when I saw that he and Arlong weren't actually currently fighting. It seemed the fishman captain was more interested in watching the fights of his crew, probably waiting to see us puny humans destroyed, while keeping up what looked like a running commentary of snide comments. It wouldn't be long before Luffy lost patience and stopped replying, choosing to attack instead.

"I'm gonna butcher you!" The octopus fishman yelled, stepping into sight with a sneer on his face and holding six large blades aloft, and my full attention immediately snapped back to him. "Aside from one man, I'm the best swordsman on Fishman Island! A human with no strength like you has no hope of beating me!"

"No strength, huh?" I asked, lips quirking in a smirk. "I might not be able to lift the anchor with one hand, but I am in no way weak."

"You won't survive my six sword style!" He promised before his arms began swaying, looking boneless. "Tako-ashi Kiken!"

He ran at me, stabbing three of his swords forward as he went. I closed my eyes, slipping two of my knives into my hands as I danced around his blades, all the while bringing my own forward to slash at his chest. I could feel his other three coming forward as well and knew that I wasn't likely to dodge all of them in close quarters like this. But still, I pressed the attack, slicing up his chest as deeply as I could before jumping up and twisting my body midair.

Two of his blades passed within centimeters of me, harmless, but the third dragged along the skin under my left arm. I was barely able to apply Armament to the area and, even then, only enough that the cut left behind was a shallow one instead of the deep gouge it would've otherwise been.

Landing lightly on my feet and pushing the sting away with barely a thought, I met Hachi's infuriated gaze evenly. He might have wounded me, but in that short exchange, I'd been the one to cause more damage. His chest was a mess of blood but it didn't seem like it was about to slow him down in the least.

"You!" He yelled out, eyes darkening, and then he was charging at me once more, faster than I would've thought him able to. He was no longer waving his swords about like he had been. No, now it looked like he planned to skewer me with all six at once. "Six Sword Style: Octopus Pot Stance!"

I was barely able to bring my knives up to block and, even then, I felt myself almost stumble as his full weight hit me. But still, I held him there, if only barely.

"You can't hold this," he told me when he noticed the way my arms were trembling at the effort. "Each of these blades weighs almost seven hundred pounds! A puny human like you could never hope to hold this weight!"

"What, this?" I snorted at him, despite the fact that I was visibly sweating. "My captain is depending on me, as is the life of our navigator and everything she holds dear. This? This weight is nothing."

"Fine then, take this!" My eyes widened as I felt his arms tense and, suddenly, the weight was no longer bearing down on me. Thrown off balance, it was ridiculously simple for him to push my arms out of the way, leaving me wide open. "New Year's Octopus Opener!"

My arms and, consequently, my blades now out of the way, he brought one of his own slashing down at me, probably hoping to cut me in half. I wasn't about to make it that easy for him, though. I twisted backwards, bending in a way most would probably think was impossible, and contorted out of the way as best I could. He followed after, though, relentless, and I wasn't quite able to completely avoid him.

I hissed out a breath as I felt his blade slice into the skin of my stomach, tearing through my jacket and the tank top underneath like paper.

"Damn it," I huffed, looking down to see blood soaking into the fabric. Glancing back up, I glared at the fishman opposite me. "Do you know how much it cost to talk Nami into mending this the last time? Way too damn much!"

"That's your problem, not mine!" He called back, sounding just seconds away from sticking his tongue out at me. "Besides, you won't be alive long enough to worry about it!"

I rolled my eyes and grumbled, unzipping my jacket and tossing it over into an area that looked relatively clear, before readying my stance once more.

"Sorry," I apologized, sounding exactly the opposite, "but I'm losing my patience. I'm finishing this up quickly and it isn't going to be very pleasant for you."

"I should be saying that to you!" He yelled back, getting his blades into position once more. "Six Sword Style: Octopus Pot Stance!"

"Tch, like that'll work on me _twice._ " Tightening my grip on my knives, I stood and I waited and, just as he stabbed the point of his blades forward, I spun. He wasn't a human, which meant he didn't have the same anatomy, as I'd already discovered. But, same anatomy or not, he wouldn't be able to use his blades if he couldn't use his hands. Striking as quickly as I was able, I stabbed through his wrists, _twisted_ , and moved onto the next ones. His attack broke apart under the onslaught and, though he tried to rally once more, all he was able to do was score a few more shallow cuts on my arms before his became virtually useless, his swords falling from his now-limp fingers.

I didn't let the realization that he'd lost settle in his mind, nor did I allow him the chance to recover enough to try attacking me again regardless. I knew that Hachi had later become a good friend to the Straw Hats, even if it was hard to believe now, and I also knew that right now was probably the only chance I was going to get to put him down without aiming to kill him.

In a practiced motion I slipped my knives back where the belonged, freeing up my hands even as I hopped up, using his chest as a stepping stone to propel myself higher. From there, I wrapped my legs around his neck, using my weight to bring us both to the ground, and _squeezed_.

He tried hard to get free, twisting and writhing about to break my hold, but I wasn't budging. His useless hands flopped about as he tried to hit me, but it was simple to weather the ever-weakening blows until they stopped altogether. I waited a moment, just to be sure, but his aura had gone dim and flat as only someone's who was unconscious could.

That taken care of, I rolled away from him, grimacing as the various cuts on my body pulled at the action. I'd barely let out a breath when I felt a new presence behind me, their arm coming down straight for my head.

"How dare you-!"

I didn't so much as twitch as Sanji appeared beside me, leg lifted to block the blow, face twisted into a snarl. "How dare _you_ attack a defenseless lady from behind!"

"Defenseless?" I demanded indignantly, though I went ignored.

"So, there's actually a human in East Blue that can survive my punch?" The ray fishman asked as he stepped away, eyes narrowed.

"There's probably more than just one, you stupid overgrown fish," Sanji scoffed, flicking the cigarette butt in his hand away with ease. His eyes slid towards me and warmed considerably, the concern in them clear. "You okay?"

"I'm good," I assured him before glancing towards his opponent. "You should probably wrap your fight up, though."

"Right away, Lily-chan~!" Sanji pirouetted away from me, only to turn the spin into a vicious kick at the last second, sending the fishman soaring through the air away from the both of us. "I'll have this finished before you even have time to miss me!"

I shook my head at his departing figure, exasperated, and turned instead towards the fight that had finally broken out between the captains. Arlong had lost his grin for the moment, his sharp teeth obviously gritted in agitation, while Luffy just looked completely determined to kick some ass. Neither of them was looking all that bad, just yet, but it was clear that they hadn't begun to go all-out.

And then it happened, one single moment of distraction as Luffy felt Nami and Zoro's auras arrive, and Arlong took advantage of it instantly, snapping his fist out and into my brother's stomach. In most cases, the blow would have done absolutely nothing to the rubber captain. But here, now, it was just enough to push him just the slightest bit backwards, where he tipped unsteadily over the edge and, with nothing to grab onto to regain his balance, fell into the water below.

" _Luffy!_ "

I was moving before he'd even gone under, before Arlong had even begun to laugh over his perceived victory. I didn't think about what an advantage he'd have against me if he decided to follow me into the water, which seemed pretty likely, didn't think about the fact that if he didn't, the villagers would be his target instead.

All I could think about was the fact that, right now, my brother couldn't breathe, couldn't fight, could only sink and either wait for us to save him or die.

Like _hell_.

I dove, ignoring the severe stinging as the salt water hit my wounds with practiced ease. The water was dark but the figure of my brother, in his bright red shirt, was easy enough to spot even if I hadn't been able to feel his exact location. His eyes were closed, his limbs limp as he sunk further and further down, and there were no air bubbles escaping from his mouth or nose.

Even in just a few seconds, he'd likely taken in a dangerous amount of water.

I hooked an arm around his waist and pushed off the bedrock, long used to hauling his dead weight through water by now. Instead of coming up where I'd gone in, I aimed closer to the wall, where the villagers and Nami - and Usopp, who'd apparently arrived while I wasn't paying attention - were situated. It felt like Sanji had finished his fight and was now working with Zoro to keep Arlong away from everyone else, an endeavor that didn't seem to be going too well.

Gen was there when I broke the surface, hefting Luffy up onto land while I pulled myself out, and I made brief eye contact with him, a request and a plea in my eyes. He answered with a single determined nod and I decided to trust him. After all, he had been trusting us this entire time, hadn't he?

Turning back to the fight as Gen started to perform CPR, I could see that while they were holding up for the moment, Sanji and Zoro were still losing, and badly. Zoro might be better off than he had been in canon but he was still severely injured while Sanji had already been in one fight and was tired out because of it, as was I.

Still, it wasn't like I was about to let them fight alone.

Slipping my knives into my hands, I grit my teeth as Arlong stood before my crewmates, unharmed and almost looking bored, while they bled at his feet. I moved quickly, especially when I heard Nami's voice shout out from the sidelines, sounding choked up with desperation, despair and, worst of all, resignation.

"Everyone, I'm sorry!" She was yelling, her voice thick with tears. "But will you please die with me?"

" _Alright_!"

"None of you are dying here today!" I yelled as I pounced, aiming a kick to the captain's face even as I twisted my upper body to slice at his abdomen. He caught my leg in a vice grip but he wasn't expecting my blades, that much was clear when he snarled and hurled me away once I'd cut him open, though it was barely deep at all. I hit the ground roughly and rolled, my knives skittering away from me on impact, but barely paused as I jumped to my feet and charged back at him.

In that time, Sanji and Zoro had gotten back up as well, though they were both unsteady on their feet. Still, they attacked with all they had, Zoro going for the wounds I'd just carved open, Sanji kicking from the left and I aiming an obsidian punch from the right. He shouldn't have been able to avoid all three of us, but that was exactly what he did, stopping Zoro's blade with his foot and batting Sanji's leg away like it was nothing.

Too late, I realized that in depending out our joint attack, I'd left myself wide open. As he kicked Zoro away from him, Arlong ducked my punch and drove his own fist right into my gut, clearly in payback for what I'd done to him. Except, the wound I'd given him was next to nothing, negligible at best. And this, this was _not_ nothing.

I could feel my ribs give way an instant before I was soaring through the air. I skidded as I hit the ground and didn't stop until I slammed into a piece of rubble. I tried to gasp and coughed blood instead, weakly clutching my battered abdomen.

"You humans are nothing!" Arlong was ranting as the ringing in my ears began to lessen. I tried to get up, at least to me knees, but my body very much did _not_ like that idea. The most I could do was force my head up and, through my blurry, blackening vision, I could see the fishman holding Zoro up by the neck, bandages torn and ripped open wounds on full display. Sanji was laid out a few feet away and looking like he couldn't move any more than I could. "And yet you think you can barge in here, attack my crewmates, and try to _steal from me_?!"

"Z-Zoro," I choked out, seeing that his struggles werre becoming weaker by the second. I had to get up, I had to get up _now_. It didn't matter that my chest felt like it was about to cave in. It didn't matter that most of my ribs felt like they were broken. That I was coughing up blood, that I couldn't breath, couldn't see straight, could barely move.

All that mattered was that Arlong had Zoro by the throat and, unless I did something, he was going to die.

And that was unacceptable.

I maneuvered my arms around, bracing them beneath me, and surged to my feet with an almighty push. It was will power alone that kept me going as, without it, my body would've dropped right back down. My only saving grace was that Arlong was preoccupied, facing away from me and clearly not expecting me to be moving any time soon, an assumption I couldn't really blame him for, all things considered.

Still, I took great pleasure in stabbing my Jambiya into the lower left side of his unprotected back and _ripping_. Blood flew and he howled, releasing his hold on our swordsman in the process.

He was still a fishman though, and his body was far more durable and could take far more damage than that. With his face twisted in absolute rage, he snapped his arms out and captured both of mine in a tight grip. I knew it was coming before it did, but there wasn't much I could do about it, out of energy as I was, and his foot rammed into my stomach.

I hung limply from his grasp afterwards, staring blearily at the blood dripping down my face and from my mouth. Pain was wracking my body in waves and, with Zoro no longer in immediate danger, I found that my body had lost all will to move.

I was dropped carelessly as Arlong flinched, obviously having been hit by something, and I could hear voices calling out to me and the others, Usopp and Nami's being the loudest. The fishman growled and began taking threatening steps towards them and I grimaced, knowing they wouldn't be able to put up a fight at all but not knowing if I could force myself up again, much less do any kind of damage even if I could. That last hit had taken everything I had and seemed to have barely fazed him.

Was I really still this weak? Was this honestly the best that I could do?

Thankfully, I never had to find out if I had the strength to get back up to my feet and fight, as Luffy chose that moment to finally rejoin the world of the living. I could hear his voice calling out and he sounded _pissed_.

I smiled, huffing out a laugh that quickly devolved into a wet cough, and finally gave into the darkness swarming my vision.

.

* * *

.

I blinked back into awareness to the feeling of fingers carding gently through my hair.

"Wha?" I slurred, bleary eyes searching out the source of comfort.

"You are ridiculously reckless," Nami's voice informed me, sounding choked with emotion but overall fond. "All of you are. You're so stupid."

I smiled at her as much as I could and knew that the effect was probably ruined by my bloody teeth. "A little," I admitted, causing her to scoff. "But we're fighting for something important. We're fighting for you. It's worth it."

She made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob, but before she could say anything else, there was a large crash and the ground shook. I shot up into a sitting position - an action I regretted instantly because _holy shit ow_ \- to see that my brother had flipped Arlong over and was now extracting his obsidian-coated arm from between the fishman's teeth.

"How long was I out?" I asked quietly, glancing around us to see that Zoro was laying over by Johnny and Yosaku, passed out, and Sanji was leaning against the wall and watching the fight through dull eyes, shoulders slumped in pure exhaustion. Usopp was still perched up on the wall, sharp eyes taking in everything that he could, slingshot clenched tightly in his hand.

"Not long," Nami answered as she moved to support me, obviously seeing the winces I wasn't quite able to hide. "Only a few minutes. Luffy stole a set of Arlong's teeth and was trying to bite him with them but it didn't work."

I snickered, something my ribs _did not like_ , because that was definitely something my brother would try.

Both captains still looked relatively unharmed, though Arlong appeared to be in the worst shape, bearing the only visible wounds. Arlong wasn't Krieg, someone who was physically much weaker, and he'd badly hurt almost every member of Luffy's crew. There was no way my brother would be underestimating his opponent or playing any games in this fight, not like he had at the Baratie and against Buggy. And as long as Luffy continued to use Armament, it was pretty unlikely that Alrong would manage to get in any good hits, not unless he could use haki himself which, at this point, was looking extremely unlikely.

I blinked when noticed that he had begun glancing around their make-shift arena and realized that his opponent was no longer in sight.

"Where'd he go?" Luffy asked, confused.

"Luffy!" Usopp yelled, leaning halfway over the wall. "He's in the sea!"

All of our gazes immediately fixated on the water, only to see a single shark fin before it dipped below the water and, suddenly, I was fighting the urge to start humming the _Jaws_ theme.

"It's just a shark!"

"No!" I yelled back. "That's definitely him! Be careful!"

"Right!" He narrowed his eyes on the spot Arlong had disappeared and readied his stance. I could see large sections of his skin Hardening in preparation and had to admit that I was impressed. I knew that his grasp on Armament was leagues above my own, just as mine was with Observation, But to see him do something like that so effortlessly when I could barely cover my fist, even when concentrating, was astounding.

I saw Luffy take a deep breath and close his eyes, focusing, and smirked. Arlong thought he could catch Luffy with quick surprise attacks, but not only could Luffy sense where he was coming from now, he'd grown up fighting me, Ace and Gramps and none of us were slouches when it came to speed. Speed was basically one of my biggest advantages, that and agility. So, he was used to defending and countering moves that came at speeds he couldn't match. And with his Armament, he'd be able to defend against even the ones he couldn't dodge. This desperate gamble wasn't going to get the fishman anywhere.

This fight was over, pretty much had been since it started. Arlong just didn't know it yet.

Taking as deep a breath as I could, I hauled myself up onto shaky feet and had to stand there a moment as I waited for the world to come back into focus.

"What are you doing?!" Nami demanded, at my side in an instant and looking ready to drag me back down if she had to.

"I have to... check on Zoro," I panted, gritting my teeth and walking forward with a single-minded determination. The further I walked, the easier it got, which I knew shouldn't have been the case. Even after all the medical texts I'd perused, though, I'd yet to ever find any kind of logic in the healing factor that seemed to run in my family. It could have also just been a D. thing, honestly, seeing as how Ace had definitely had it, too.

I didn't question it now, though, and was only grateful I had it. Broken ribs were a bitch to deal with so the sooner they healed the happier I'd be, especially considering that our next stop would probably be filled with just as much excitement.

"Hey, Zoro," I called softly as I dropped to my knees at the man's side, Nami just a step behind me. I could tell that she was waiting for me to pass back out again, but that wasn't about to happen. Still, I let her do her thing, as she seemed to be feeling better for it.

Zoro, for his part, barely opened an eye to squint up at me before he slurred, "You look like shit."

"Like you're one to talk," I snorted, leaning over to try and inspect the damage. It was hard, what with the blood, but I could see that while a lot of his stitches had torn, not all of them had. Which was probably better than I could've hoped for, honestly, considering who we'd been fighting. I sighed. "It's not as bad as I figured it would be, but you'll need to get most of it restitched. Luckily for you, there's an actual doctor on this island."

Nami nodded when I glanced at her for a confirmation I didn't need. She looked incredibly pale as she finally saw the full extent of the wound Zoro had received before we came here. It seemed to take her a moment to be able to tear her eyes away and then she was heading into the crowd to find the man we needed.

I looked back to find Zoro watching me with dazed eyes and smiled, brushing a hand over his forehead. It was a gesture of comfort but I also wanted to make sure he wasn't running a fever. "You can go ahead and sleep. It'll probably help you more than anything."

He didn't need to be told twice and, within seconds, was slumbering once more. I shook my head fondly but left him to it. I'd seen how sleeping really did help him heal faster, kind of like eating did for Luffy and I, and knew that this honestly was the best thing he could be doing right now.

I stayed by his side as an old man was rushed over by Nami and immediately got to work. We'd have to wait until after this fight, when we could get him back to the doctor's place where all of his supplies were, but for now he had enough bandages on hand to stem the bleeding.

As he worked on that, I glanced back towards the fight that all the spectators were _ooh_ -ing and _aah_ -ing over. I could see that Arlong was getting to the very end of his rope as he tried again and again to land a hit and came up empty every time. As he turned, I could see that his eyes had already changed to that of a mad Sea King and knew that it was only a matter of time before he blew.

Speaking of.

"How dare an inferior human," he snarled, finally grabbing hold of my brother by the hair, "do this to me, a fishman?!"

With that, he tossed Luffy straight into the wall of his building. For his part, Luffy just looked a bit surprised, not having expected that sudden jump in speed and power, but otherwise he was completely unharmed. Arlong charged but he dodged easily, hopping over him as the fishman's arm rammed through the wall instead.

"Shishishi, I already told you, you're not gonna be able to hit me like that," Luffy taunted, sticking out his tongue for good measure. Arlong only snarled and, when he ripped his arm out of the wall, he brought with him a humongous, saw-toothed sword.

"That's _Kiribachi_ ," Nami gasped in horror as she laid eyes upon the blade and I got the feeling that the sight of it was not a good sign. I wasn't worried, though, because it was still just a blade and Luffy's Armament shouldn't have any trouble with it.

Still, I couldn't help but stare, wide-eyed, as Arlong used his new weapon to chase Luffy all the way up and then into his building. With the way the fishman was acting, he almost seemed feral with rage at this point, not caring what he had to do so long as it ended with Luffy and the rest of us dead.

"The left window on the top floor," Nami whispered, so quietly that I barely heard her. "That's the cartography room."

The air was silent for a very long moment, long enough that the villagers began to fidget restlessly and the bounty hunters began fearfully wondering what was going on. I knew what was happening, though. Luffy had found Nami's prison. And I could tell by the way his rage was building that he was ready to _burn it to the ground_.

And then, with an almighty crash, a desk went soaring out through the wall. A moment of panic was followed by confusion as more and more things were tossed from the room; papers, books, chairs, it didn't matter, all of it was sent flying. And, beside me, I could see that the more she saw the more pronounced Nami's trembling became, her eyes filling rapidly with tears, until finally she had to clap a hand over her mouth just to keep her sobs from escaping.

I reached over and gently took the hand that she was using to grip her shirt, entwining my fingers through her own and giving them a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back, grateful, but didn't once take her eyes away from the sight of all those maps she'd been forced to draw, fluttering in useless torn scraps in the wind.

Things went quiet again for an instance before a scream of pain rent through the air. I didn't react, because that definitely hadn't been Luffy's voice, but the others all jumped and began yelling in panic, Johnny and Yosaku being the loudest as they screamed their worries. Before they could work themselves up into a real frenzy, a foot shot out of the roof, stretching far into the sky where it hovered for only a moment before slicing back down with enough power to cut through the entire building.

The others were focused on the sight of destruction before them, understandably so, as the entirety of Arlong Park crumbled down. That wasn't what I had zeroed in on, though.

Arlong's aura had disappeared.

I let out a deep breath and felt my eyes sting as I blinked back tears. He wouldn't regret it, I knew, not like I had. But this was still the first time Luffy had ever killed someone. We'd felt lives blink out many times before, but he'd never been the direct cause of it, not like he was this time.

It had to be done. I knew that and he knew that and there would be absolutely no regret if it meant that Nami was able to smile again. But that didn't mean it wouldn't still leave its mark on him.

I stood once more, absently patting at Zoro's hair as I went and giving Nami's hand one last squeeze before letting it go, and began making my way to where I could feel Luffy's aura, burning as strongly and as brightly as ever. Around me, people were panicking, wondering who had won and if anyone could have survived something like that, but I ignored them all, focused only on getting back to my brother's side. He wasn't anywhere near as injured as I remembered him being in canon, I knew, had come out of this fight practically unscathed but he was still tired.

I didn't even pause as the rubble shifted and Luffy lifted himself up. I didn't slow my ascent as he threw his arms up into the air in victory. I continued to climb to him as he shouted the words I knew our navigator had been waiting for this entire time.

" _Nami, you're my crewmate, got it_?!"

Nami had only just choked out her tearful response when I finally made it to his side and, without wasting a single moment, wrapped my arms around him and held on tightly. He didn't hesitate to embrace me back, though I noticed he was being very careful of my ribs.

"You idiot," I murmured, resting my forehead against his shoulder. "Do you know how worried I was when you fell into the water?"

"Shishishi, sorry." I didn't have to see it to know that he was grinning impossibly wide. "It was a really dirty move."

"It was," I admitted, finally letting him go. I only leaned back far enough that I could flick him in the forehead. "You just weren't using your haki like you should've been."

He pouted at me. "It worked out though, so it's okay, right?"

I sighed, because nothing I said was going to change his mind about that. "Yeah, yeah. It might not next time, though. You have to be careful." He nodded solemnly, clearly seeing and sensing just how much I meant my words, and I sighed. "Come on. The others are waiting."

Together, we made our way back down to solid ground. Luffy kept a solid grip on my hand the entire way, making sure I didn't stumble, and I let him. We both knew that I was fine, more or less, but I also knew that, after seeing what Nami had lived through and knowing that each of us had in some way gotten hurt today, his protective urges were probably going a bit haywire.

We descended into what looked seconds away from being a full-blown party, everyone dancing and cheering over their new-found freedom. The celebration didn't last long, though, before the voice of a very unwelcome guest cut through the noise and I groaned.

"That's enough celebrating!" Standing there, a battalion of men at the ready behind him, stood none other than Nezumi. "Thanks to you, all of the riches of Arlong Park now belong to me! I will also be confiscating all money stolen by the thief known as Nami. So, throw down your arms! I, Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Branch of the Marines, will hereby be taking credit for your victory!"

The words had barely escaped his mouth when he suddenly found himself embedded in the ground. Sanji stood behind him, foot still raised and gritting his teeth in agitation. "That's for shooting the lovely Lily-chan, you piece of shit."

The rest of his force was beaten quickly. I could tell by the looks of shock on their faces that they had expected us to be easy prey, exhausted from our fight, but Sanji and I had had plenty of time to rest and Luffy wasn't injured at all, even if he was still tired.

"How's that hand?" I couldn't help but ask, smirking when I saw how heavily bandaged it was. I knew for a fact that I'd broken bones earlier.

"You won' ge' 'way wi' this," Nezumi slurred as his head lolled about dazedly. We all watched him, unimpressed and unintimidated, as Nami walked up to join us. She placed Luffy's hat solidly on his head as she passed by, not slowing until she was crouched before the bruised and beaten Marine Captain.

"This," she told him sweetly, "is for shooting Lily and for threatening Bell-Mere's tangerines."

With that said, she drew up her bo staff and soundly whipped the man across the face, sending him flying into the water as his officers yelled after him in panic.

"Thanks Nami," I chirped, offering the girl a high five as she sauntered over to where the captain popped back up, gasping for air and bleeding heavily. Already, one of his eyes was swollen shut.

"Clean up after the fishmen," she ordered him, grabbing hold of the whisker-like hairs on his face and pulling harshly. "Help rebuild Gosa Village. And you're not to touch a single beli of that money, do you understand? It belongs to the island!"

"I understand, I understand!" Nezumi cried, desperate to be let go. Nami eyed him for a minute longer before shoving his face away from her. He didn't waste any time, swimming away as quickly as he could, and his men were quick to dive in and follow him. He didn't stop until he was a presumably safe distance away. "Listen here, you filthy pirates! Especially you two!"

I blinked as he pointed viciously towards my brother and I, and could see Luffy had the same reaction.

"You're the captain, right? Your names are Luffy and Lily, right?! Neither of you are gonna get away with what you've done! You'll get what you deserve for angering me! I'll get you back for the pain you've caused me!"

"Is he threatening you?!" Sanji demanded as he stepped up next to me, looking ready to dive in and follow them, if only to beat the shit out of them a bit more.

"How'd he know I deserve to be Pirate King?" Luffy asked, tilting his head, and I snickered.

"I don't think that's what he meant."

"This isn't the time to be joking around!" Usopp yelled, panicked. "What if he really does get us back for this?!"

"That won't be a problem," I assured him, waving his worries away. "As soon as I find a Den Den Mushi, I'm gonna get in touch with Gramps and tell him he's got his work cut out for him out here in East Blue. Can you imagine how pissed he's gonna be when he learns pirates have been in charge of this island for _years_ and the marines knew and actually _helped_ them?"

Luffy and I shuddered in tandem. At least that anger wasn't gonna be directed at us, for once.

"Poor Coby," Luffy muttered, taking his hat off and holding it over his heart in a solemn gesture.

"He was a good kid," I agreed sadly.

"Let's go!" A cheer broke out, catching our attention. We looked over to see that all the villagers were running, faces bright and grinning wide. Some were even crying. "We have to spread the news!"

"We have to tell everyone!"

"Arlong Park had fallen!"

I smiled at the scene for a moment, content, before reaching over and nudging Luffy's shoulder. "Come on. We gotta get Zoro to the doctor's place."

Luffy frowned. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine."

"He's not fine!" Nami yelled, finally standing up to join us. While her words were harsh, she wasn't able to stop the smile that was spread across her face. "He's bleeding a lot!"

"Some of his stitched popped," I explained, shrugging. "He's sleeping now, though, so he'll be fine."

"Oh, okay."

" _That's not how it works_!" Usopp and Nami both yelled at my brother's easy agreement, which only caused him to laugh at their reaction.

Nami sighed, sounding nothing but fond. "The rest of you should get checked out, too. You were all pretty hurt."

"Nah, we just need food," Luffy disagreed, his eyes zeroing in on Sanji. To his credit, the cook did nothing but sigh in tired acceptance.

"Aye, aye."

With the promise of food in the very near future, we made our way to the still-slumbering swordsman. I wasn't worried by the fact that he was still asleep, what with the way he was snoring, but I also knew that moving him wasn't going to be fun.

"Zoro," I called as I carefully knelt down beside him, tapping his cheek gently. Luffy was quick to kneel down on his other side, gaze fixed on the man's bloodied face.

Zoro's eyes opened immediately and he stared at me blearily for a moment before glancing towards my brother. "Done?"

Luffy grinned, delighted at the unwavering faith the swordsman had in his victory. "Yup! You got really hurt, though."

"Nah," Zoro heaved himself up before I could stop him, only wincing a bit at the action. "It's not that bad."

"Idiot!" I admonished, bopping him lightly on the head. "You're only straining yourself more."

He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I can just stay here, is it? I'm not letting you guys carry me. I can walk."

I grumbled but, seeing the stubborn set of his jaw, let it be. He was right, after all. Injured or not, he was able to walk and, after everything else, it wouldn't hurt him _too_ badly. If I'd been in his position, I'd have been just as adamant about it.

"We're taking you to the doctor, to get restitched," I told him once he was standing and he groaned, clearly not thrilled with the idea. But just as I knew he'd be walking there under his own power, he knew I wouldn't be letting him walk anywhere else.

"Whatever."

"Oh, don't angst. What are you, thirteen?"

"Shut up! I'm not angsting!"

"Are too."

"I am not!"

"Shishishi, Zoro's like a kid."

" _Shut up!_ "

.

* * *

.

This time, Zoro was able to get patched up without screaming in agony. Out of everything, I took that as my biggest win thus far.

"It's not terrible," the old doctor informed me as he leaned over the swordsman's prone body. I could see that Zoro's fists were clenched tight enough that the knuckles were bone-white, so I knew that this definitely was not a pleasant experience for him, but he'd still yet to make a sound. Luffy sat in a chair at the foot of the bed, watching on in fascination, while Johnny and Yosaku snored away in the other beds. Usopp had gone with Sanji, not having the stomach to watch this, and Nami had gone off with Gen and her sister after taking the time to bind my ribs for me. "But I can tell it was done by a novice. The stitches that were left are uneven, either too tight or too lose. All in all, it could be a hell of a lot worse, though, especially considering you're not a doctor. Shouldn't you have one on your ship?"

"We're working on it," I assured him at his disbelieving tone.

"A doctor, huh?" Luffy asked, head cocked to the side. "That's a good idea! We need a musician first, though."

"Why?" The doctor asked, looking unsure of if he actually wanted to know the answer.

"Pirates need to sing," my brother and I answered in tandem. He was completely serious but my own voice was full of exasperation. I knew it wasn't entirely his fault; if anyone was to blame it was Shanks and his crew. They'd practically drilled it into our heads, that every pirate crew needed a musician, because what were pirates without singing?

Still, to label a musician as more important than a doctor was taking it a bit too far, in my opinion.

The doctor shook his head, clearly done with the both of us, and focused back on the wounds before him. He had it stitched and bandaged quickly, faster than I ever could've managed, and sighed as he took a step back. Making his way over to the sink to wash his hands, he called instructions to us over his shoulder. "Those should hold fine, as long he's not an idiot and overstresses them. No fighting, no physical work. He needs to rest. On a normal person I'd say that wound would take _at least_ two years to fully heal, with physical therapy. Honestly, if you want my opinion, I'd say he's better off picking a quiet life for a bit."

"He'll be fine," I disagreed before Luffy or Zoro could protest more violently. "He's stronger than you're giving him credit for."

"Whatever you say," the man shrugged, wiping his hands dry on a towel before making his way to the door. "Can't say I didn't warn ya. And if I see you out of that bed before I say so, I'll stitch you to it."

With that threat, he left, leaving the rest of us in silence broken only by the bounty hunter's snores. After a moment I sighed.

"Well, you heard the man," I turned to give our swordsman a smile. "Rest up."

"I'll bring you some meat!" Luffy promised as he hoped to his feet. Those words alone were enough to prove just how much he cared.

"And some sake." I smirked when Zoro's eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite drink, knowing that if anything would make him happy, it'd be that. "We'll all be around if you need anything, so just get some sleep, yeah?"

"Yeah, alright," he agreed, far easier than I'd thought he would. Then again, he looked like all he wanted to do was sleep anyway, so it worked out. Within moments of closing his eyes, his own snores were added to the cacophony, causing Luffy to giggle.

"C'mon, Lili." He grabbed my hand and began leading me out, threading our fingers together as he went. "Let's go get some food!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. I followed him easily, closing the door behind us softly as we went. The streets were full of people as they set up what looked to be one hell of a party. There wasn't a single person who wasn't smiling and the sight of it had me filling with joy.

"You did good," I told Luffy and saw the way he tilted his head in confusion. "You beat Arlong and freed this entire island. They're all smiling right now because of you."

He shrugged. "I didn't do it for them."

"I know," I agreed. He would've, I knew. But this, _this_ he'd done for Nami and Nami alone. "But their smiles make her's brighter. You did good."

He grinned at me, delighted by the praise, and began swinging our joined hands back and forth, humming merrily as he went.

And for the first time since we'd sent Nami and Usopp off alone, with no one but a pair of barely competent bounty hunters as back-up, I felt completely content, and knew Luffy felt the same.

.

* * *

.

For the next two days, the entire town was nothing but a gigantic party, and it seemed like every single person on the island showed up for it. It's not like I could blame them, after having spent so long as practically nothing more than slaves. More than that, I was totally willing to take advantage of the fact that food was being served non-stop.

Luffy and I had long since split up, off on a mission to try every single thing we could find. Usopp was almost glowing under the attention the villagers were giving him, telling tall tales and singing songs in his own honor, and I let him have his moment. He'd worked hard for his victory, I knew, and he deserved it.

Zoro had finally been released earlier that day, on the condition that he took it easy. He didn't argue or complain, simply happy to finally be out of bed. When the doctor had come to check on him that first night only to find him chugging a jug of sake, he'd been thoroughly displeased, to say the least, and the old man had made sure Zoro knew it.

Sanji had taken some time to help with the cooking but had eventually been shooed off. He'd looked ready to protest until he'd seen all the beautiful women around just waiting to be flirted with, and then he'd been off, not wasting another second.

The only one I hadn't seen much of was Nami and, feeling her nearby, I decided it was time to rectify that. The urge only got stronger when I realized she was in the doctor's house.

"Hey, Nami!" I called out, opening the door without knocking. The scene before me caused me to blink for a moment before a large grin spread across my face. "Lookin' good!"

She beamed back at me from where she stood before a mirror, bare shoulder proudly displaying her new tattoo. It was no longer Arlong's brand but was, instead, a cross between a pinwheel and a tangerine. I knew that this meant the world to her because this was the last of her chains, finally falling away.

"Thanks!" She chirped, rolling her shoulder experimentally. I could see the way her skin was a bit upraised, likely from the wound she'd given herself, but you could only see it if you really looked. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Luffy had a competition going."

"Eh, not really a competition," I admitted, walking further into the room to sit on the chair Luffy had occupied just days before, nodding to the doctor - whose name I'd since learned was Nako - as I went. "We just don't want to miss out on trying everything. Besides, I haven't seen you much. I missed you."

Her smile softened at the admittance and I grinned right back at her. It was amazing, being able to see her smile so much. She'd smiled and laughed with us before, it was true, but it was nothing like this, nothing so honest.

"Well, let's get back out there, then. Wouldn't want to miss out on any of that food."

"Ah, actually," I turned to Dr. Nako, eyeing the supplies he still had laid out before him speculatively. I didn't have to do this now, I knew. But at the same time, why not? "I kind of have a favor to ask, if you wouldn't mind."

"Might as well," the old man shrugged. "While I'm here. I just need to sanitize my equipment."

"Lily?" Nami asked, sounding curious. "What are you going to get?"

I grinned brightly, knowing exactly what I wanted.

"A tribute."

.

* * *

.

The next morning found the lot of us, sans Nami, on the deck of the Going Merry while the villagers crowded around on the ground below.

The moment that Luffy had caught sight of my arm and the stylized "ASL" and purple lily flower that now permanently adorned it, he'd let loose a laugh of pure delight and hadn't stopped smiling since, not even when Johnny and Yosaku bid the rest of us farewell.

Now all that was left was to wait for our navigator, something that was taking far longer than we'd initially thought it would. I could understand, though. She was saying goodbye to her home, after all, and who knew when she'd be back here again? Still, it seemed as if our wait was over, as her aura grew steadily closer.

"SET SAIL!"

We all blinked at the shout, surprised, and found Nami standing down the rood, just in sight. As soon as she saw that she had everyone's attention, she began to run.

"She's running?" Usopp asked, sounding hopelessly confused. "What should we do?"

"She said set sail," Luffy shrugged. "So, set sail."

The rest of us got to it, preparing to finally set off from this island, while below the villagers began to yell in disbelief. No matter how they begged and cajoled, though, Nami didn't slow down once, expertly dodging around them as they lunged for her.

"Are you sure we should really let her leave like this?" Sanji asked, uncertain.

"It's her goodbye," Luffy reminded him, unconcerned.

"Besides," I smirked, seeing exactly what she was doing. If the way my brother's lips were twitching, he did, too. "This send off is definitely Nami's style."

Finally at the end of the line, our navigator leaped, crossing the distance and landing easily on her feet. As the villagers continued to reach for her, looking heartbroken and confused, she lifted her shirt.

And out fell dozens of wallets and coin purses.

A moment of silence followed before the villagers were yelling once more, this time for a completely different reason, and Lu and I broke down into hysterics.

"Take care everyone!" Nami called out, grinning slyly, completely unperturbed by the chaos she'd left in her wake.

" _You rotten little thief!_ "

And with Nami waving goodbye cheerfully to the home she'd sacrificed so much for, the home that was now safe and sound and happy, smiling brighter than I'd ever seen her, we set sail once more.

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: FINALLY!**

 **I have to say, I am actually extremely nervous about posting this. A lot of people have said how much they're looking forward to this arc and I really hope I've met your expectations or, at the very least, I've made it worth the wait.**

 **Arlong was captured and sent to Impel Down in canon but I decided to do things a bit differently here. Not that it'll make too much of a difference, since we don't see him again even when Luffy breaks into the prison. But, yeah, he's dead now.**

 **I know some of you may be disappointed that events here didn't change drastically, still. And I swear to you that this fic is not going to just be a continuous re-hash of canon. In fact, while there will still be similarities, this chapter should be the last one that's so closely tied to canon. Right now, I'm only changing the things I think should be changed (and if you disagree, that's fine!) and as of yet, big changes haven't happened yet. That will be changing very soon, however, I promise.**

 **I'm not sure how clear I was able to make it but, for any of you that are confused, when Lily and the others get to the island, they're on the other side of it. Which is why she says Arlong Park is to the right instead of to the left. It's also why they don't go through any of the towns to get to the tangerine field and why they're able to dock Merry out of the way. Lily was determined to avoid the fishmen for as long as she could and they seemed to have watched over the area by the village more than anywhere else.**

 **Also, yes, I totally did just nonchalantly give Lily a tattoo. It's basically the cover image of this fic except vertical and with much fancier script.**

 **I'm not sure if I'll have them get to Loguetown next chapter or the one after. I suppose we'll find out.**

 **I have a lot going on this month (my sisters bought me a plane ticket for Christmas so that I can be there for my nephew's birthday, and I'll be with them for over a week) so, while I'm going to try to get the next update to you soon, I'm not going to promise anything. Sorry.**

 **Speaking of Christmas, I've learned this year that my best friend is the WORST (and the best, but seriously, the _WORST_ ). Why, you may ask? Because she got me three things, one of which was a figurine of Ace, which, hey, that's super cool, right? Except the other two were of Ace and Luffy. Which is still cool, right? _Except_ , they go together. And when they do, they create ACE'S DEATH SCENE. IT'S INTERLOCKING FIGURES OF LUFFY HOLDING ACE IN HIS ARMS WHILE HE DIES. DAMN IT.**

 **Needless to say, I yelled a lot. Still, what are best friends for, right?**

 **Before I move onto reviews, I wanted to clarify a few things that have been brought to my attention that some of you might be wondering about:**

 **1) I know that answering all of my reviews at the bottom of chapters may seem a bit annoying to some of you and, while I apologize, I'm not going to stop doing it. Nor am I going to go back and delete them. Why? Because I've had a lot of people tell me that they've read my answers to other's reviews and that those answers have either helped them understand things they didn't get at first or they've helped them come up with more questions. I try to only answer reviews on here that need to be answered (ones that are asking questions or for clarifications) but I know this section still tends to be fairly long, regardless. (That being said, please know that I read and I am thankful for every single review that I get, regardless of if I answer it on here). I get that having this large section down here throws off the word count, I really do, but I'm not going to get rid of it.**

 **2) A reviewer on the last chapter said that Sanji adding "-chan" to Lily's name really threw them off and they felt as if it had come out of nowhere and, in case anyone else felt the same, I wanted to explain my reasoning. I can get where you're coming from, since I don't really tend to use honorifics much in this fic. But I _do_ use them. Sanji adding "-chan" and "-san" to women's names, and later using "-chwan" and "-swan", is just part of who he is. And there really isn't a way to translate that over into English, honestly. Same with the way I had Coby add "-san" and Johnny and Yosaku add "-aniki" and "-aneki". Doing that is a part of their character and there really wasn't a good way to translate it over and, even if I did, it just doesn't hold the same meaning in English.**

 **3) To people wondering why Lily can go head-to-head in a spar with Luffy and come out even while having so much trouble against Arlong: Lily has been sparring with Luffy for years. They know each other, inside and out, and it's really simple to anticipate and counter a lot of their moves. Lily already fought against someone else. Lily has always focused on speed but, being a fishman, Arlong is both stronger _and_ faster than normal humans. And, as has been pointed out in the manga, Observation haki doesn't do you a whole lot of good if you're not fast enough to dodge the blow. Luffy had a much easier time facing Arlong because Armament was a lot more effective against him. **

**That said, onto the reviews!**

 **Deus Ferae: Yeah, usually I'm pretty good at keeping back-ups. And I've definitely cracked down since, so hopefully there won't be a repeat.**

 **xenocanaan: Yeah, Sanji definitely doesn't know that they're twins. In fact, he thinks they're dating. Usopp and Nami think it's hilarious while Lily and Luffy are clueless. That reveal is bound to be a great one. It's true that I haven't watched the anime, but if there are any arcs you really, really want included, I'm not against watching them. I can't promise that I'll include them, it'll depend if they fit well with the outline I have for this fic, but I'm willing to watch them and see. I just don't have the time to sit down and watch the entire anime right now haha**

 **CrystalSeker: Ahahaha I didn't mind the long review, I promise. Thank you very much for your support and understanding! Despite the fact that I left it to the readers to decide if I added extras to the crew or not, I have noticed that now that it's been decided that I won't, a lot of people are disappointed. All I can say is that, even if they don't join the crew, that doesn't mean they're just gonna be _gone_. Just like how there's hope for them to meet up with Gin again someday, they may end on much better terms with others as well. Anyway, once again, thank you so much for your kind words and your support!**

 **ghostvu: Yeah, it really did come out of nowhere. The first month, I just wrote and wrote and _wrote_ , honestly. Finding OC fics that aren't centered around romance, especially in the One Piece fandom, is very difficult to do, which is a very big reason why I didn't want to add any of that to this one. Close platonic relationships are my favorite thing in the world, and so writing it into this fic is a lot of fun. I can tell you right now that Zoro and Lily are definitely going to have a close friendship, as they're both kind of like the caretakers of the others, in a way. There hasn't really been a chance for Lily's stealing and sneaking skills to shine just yet, but I promise it'll happen. And as for Sanji's reaction when he finally finds out Luffy and Lily are twins, it's bound to be priceless.**

 **Catflower Queen: I could see Lily being very interested in learning a bit from Chopper once he joins the crew. While she'll never be a doctor, she's very much the type of person that wants to take care of others, and Chopper is only one person. So, if she knows a bit, she'll at least be able to give him some help if he ever needs it. I don't think Lily would shy away from Sanji like that, because she knows he wouldn't ever take advantage of her or hurt her like that, and besides, he's a crewmate now. And in the Straw Hat Crew, there is no escape when it comes to the puppy piles haha Sanji's reaction to them being siblings is going to be great! haha**

 **RevlisFlow: I have a lot of changes planned for the Loguetown Arc, and while it's going to be great, you guys are going to hate me for a bit because of it! *rubs hands together and cackles* I'm usually very good at saving my work, in multiple places. On that day, though, I got distracted and ended up just closing my laptop to come back to it later. Only to find that my computer had updated in the meantime and all my stuff was lost. Since then, I've definitely cracked down, so hopefully nothing like that will happen again.**

 **RoseSlayer77: I promise that Lily and Zoro's relationship will never be neglected or forgotten. While it'll never become romantic, it will always most certainly be there.**

 **Lightsbane1905: The world record for holding breath is actually 22 minutes and 22 seconds. But, then again, that's with the use of pure oxygen beforehand. I think without oxygen, the world record is 9 minutes and 8 seconds. I will definitely do my best to never go three months without an update (even though I was kinda pushing it this time, by almost going two months.) Also, yeah, I've heard of This Bites haha I've never read it however. I started to, awhile ago, but I only got like one or two chapters in I think.**

 **Stolyint: Lily has finally fought someone who is not cannon fodder! haha I feel like, in the East Blue at least, putting an island under his flag would be more harmful than helpful. Arlong got away with it because he had marines in his pocket but Luffy wouldn't. And, knowing the marines, they'd likely say that he'd tried to take the island hostage himself, no matter what the villagers said otherwise. As for Lily's Devil Fruit, I have decided on one, though I'm not completely sure how much everyone is going to like it. Hopefully the way I plan on going about it will satisfy you all.**

 **Appirinia: I'm alive (again)! Sorry for another long wait between chapters, but hopefully it was worth it. I feel like fighting scenes are something I definitely need to improve on (something I should be getting a lot of practice with in this fic, so please bear with me) but I am trying to get better. Lily is just as clueless as Luffy over how Sanji is seeing their relationship right now, though Nami and Usopp are finding it hilarious. I'm sure Zoro will, too, once he realizes what's going on. A lot of people are shipping Lily with Zoro, and I do not fault any of you for it. Their relationship really is adorable. I really hope to never lose the drive to write this fic, especially since I've honestly got it planned all the way up to the timeskip. I don't think the updates will ever come quite as quickly as they did when I first started but hopefully they never stop. I'm planning on taking a bit of next chapter to focus more on the crew than on the plot and, once they get to Loguetown, I plan to change things up a bit, so look forward to that. Hopefully my take on the Arlong arc was acceptable! And I would apologize for your addiction, but it wouldn't be an honest one hahaha**

 **Singular Poisonous Ashes: When did she ever disparage femininity? I'm honestly asking, because I really don't remember ever having written her doing that. She's become upset over people expected her to be nothing but feminine but she's never had any issue with feminine things. When she admits to her vanity with her hair, it's not in a "this is such a girlish and weak trait" way. It's in a "this is a very real weakness in a fight" way. I never wrote with the intent for her to come across like that and I'm sorry if it seemed that way to you. As for the way I depicted her trauma, I can totally understand what you're saying. But, like you said, I'm trying to make this story more lighthearted to follow along with the general vibe One Piece gives off. I'm trying to show that there are still very real affects because of it, because something like that doesn't just go away, but I guess I'm kind of doing it in my own way. I'm sorry if that detracts from the story for you. Either way, thank you for your honesty and thank you for sticking it out and continuing to read this fic, even though there are things about it that you don't agree with.**

 **GreenDrkness: The idea for a Fenrir Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit actually isn't mine, Lightsbane1905 was the one who came up with it, so for permission to use it you'd have to ask them. Sorry! As for Sabo, I do have a plan with him and the Revolutionaries, though I can't tell you what it is yet. You'll also have to wait a bit to find out the outcome of what happens with Teach and Thatch haha**

 **Sacuna: Hopefully the wait for the Arlong arc was worth it. I agree that Sanji can be a bit annoying at times, especially at the beginning when he first joins the crew, but he's also one of my favorite characters as well (who am I kidding, I love the entire crew to pieces [Ha! Get it? _Piece_ s?]). They'll be getting to Loguetown either in the next chapter or the one after, so look forward to it!**

 **Tsume Yuki: Thank you! Lily knew that she was the only one that could really help Zoro and that freaking out wasn't an option. As much as everyone talks about Luffy, Ace and Sabo having protective urges, Lily's are just as bad, sometimes worse, when it comes to the people she cares about. And to her, an injured and defenseless Zoro would definitely come first. Losing unsaved work really is the bane of every fic writer's existence, isn't it? Haha**

 **Dendule95: I have, in fact, decided on a Fruit. I can't answer your other question, though, you'll have to wait and find out haha**

 **pokeloon15: Ooooooh hahaha sorry. I think it wasn't so much a "wait, didn't that happen?" thing as a "she totally forgot" thing. Because a lot of the little details, up until she's faced with them, have begun to more or less slip her mind. At this point, she's pretty much just going along with whatever happens haha she finally got a one on one fight! I know that I could create OC villains for her to fight, and I might end up doing that eventually, but I'm trying really hard not to. Simply because I've read a lot of fics where that happens and it always bugged me. Like, where did they come from? Why weren't they there before? Is the universe just unexplainably balancing it out? It's always been something I've kind of cringed at, even though I get why it's necessary and why people do it. Even so, I'm going to try to avoid it for as long as possible.**

 **gnomishness: I'm back (again)! No excuse this time, though, except for it being a very hectic holiday season. But I can honestly say that I still haven't burnt out on this fic, even though it took me a bit longer to update. As for your question, I didn't forget about his leg wound. It was shallow, yeah, but at the same time, Krieg didn't really move much in the fight. He's the type that stands there and throws stuff at his opponent and, if they do happen to get too close, uses underhanded tricks to beat them back again. So, while the wound was still there, it wouldn't have hampered his fight overly much.**

 **OPF: Hello! It took awhile for me to come back again, but I did it with another (almost) 26,000 words, at least haha Having Usopp go with Nami didn't change things drastically, though it did make it so that the sniper didn't get hurt and nobody thought of Nami as an enemy. Krieg would definitely want someone who has knowledge of the Grand Line, anything to help him get to the top, and there was no way I could pass up that opportunity. And an enemy manhandling any member of the crew is big no-go! Haha I feel like Lily is the type that can scoff or shrug off catcalls and things of the like, but genuine compliments are another thing entirely. You've got your wish of Sanji being jealous, envious and despairing over the closeness of Luffy and Lily's relationship, though he's yet to realize that it's all just sibling love. And it wasn't a long time before they were all reunited once again! Having sent Nami and Usopp and the bounty hunters ahead together and having everyone in on what was going on helped to make things a bit more organized for them haha Also, thank you for your corrections! I think I went back and got them all, but the ones you pointed out really helped.**

 **tobiasfuersten: I've made drawings of Lily's appearance, the links to which are in my bio (and mentioned in the first A/N) if you're interested in seeing them.**

 **Caroline: You'll find out! Haha**

 **HikariAi: That is _EXACTLY_ what Lily is going to be for the crew hahaha thank you!**

 **Rebel-Keiki: Thank you, oh my gosh! One of the things I really wanted to do with this fic was I wanted to explore the characters more and flesh out more of their traits, along with their relationships, so I'm glad that you approve of what I've done with them so far. As for your second point, I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I try to make grammar and characterization such a priority (though I will admit that a lot of typos tend to escape my notice). I've started reading so many fics with such great plot lines only to not be able to get into it, simply because of bad grammar or characters being OOC. So, it really is great to hear that I'm doing a good job in avoiding that. Thank you very, very much for leaving this review! It made me really happy!**

 **mylongodetosleep: Oh, no! Well, hopefully after how long this update has taken, you're feeling better? I hope that you are. Thank you so much! The One Piece world really is amazing, it's so diverse and there's so much potential. It's really fun writing about it.**

 **Zekuran: Thank you very much for the suggestion! It really is an interesting one and I'll definitely look into it!**

 **tokibun: Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I'm very glad that I was able to remind you of One Piece in such a way, and I can totally understand why the fillers led to you not being as into it as before (the same thing happened with me and Bleach. The amount of fillers in that anime is HORRIBLE) One of my biggest worries was being able to bring a character into this story in such a way that she actually _fit_ and to hear that I've been able to do that makes me very happy. A lot of shonen manga have a pretty terrible track record when it comes to the treatment of women and, while One Piece isn't the most terrible, it also isn't the best. Which is part of the reason I made that such a big part of Lily's character, honestly. Dreaming of Sunshine was honestly my biggest inspiration to begin writing this fic because as soon as I read it, I wanted more OC fic. But, like you said, there isn't really much of selection when it comes to the One Piece fandom. If this fic can ever become the Dreaming of Sunshine of One Piece, then my life will be complete hahaha I think it's been officially decided now that Lily is the Quartermaster, now all they have to do is actually say it. The position really is perfect for her and there honestly was no way I could ever see anyone but Zoro being First Mate. And the two positions mirror their friendship pretty perfectly, as well (being equals who look out for and protect the others and each other while also trying to limit the chaos their captain creates).**

 **animexxfreakxx: I'm so happy to hear that I've inspired you! That's amazing! I started to read "Lest Ye Become a Monster" because of your suggestion and it truly does seem like a great fic, regardless of the fact that I haven't been able to get very far in it yet haha If I were to do trivias, what would you like them to focus on? (I don't know if I'll be able to, what with people complaining about the length of my A/N's already hahaha) And I in no way mind long reviews! In fact, I love them!**

 **NonchalantxFish: Sabo doesn't lose his memories because, with Lily there, he doesn't get quite as injured. She's there to fish him out of the water and resuscitate him, even if they both go under again not long after. That little bit made a difference, though. Also, sneaky-Lily will be coming up eventually, I promise!**

 **jewel: Lily and Luffy have both already told the crew a bit about Sabo and Ace (though Zoro and Nami know more than the others do). They're going to be much more open with their pasts than Luffy was in canon.**

 **And there you have it! Hopefully it's not another two months before I update again! Please continue to be patient with me!**

 **Like always, thank you so much for reading and please favorite, follow or leave a review to tell me what you think!**

 ***EDIT 12/7/17* Finally went through and corrected the spelling of Shichibukai. Thanks to all of you who pointed it out! I'll try not to make the same mistake in the future!**

 ***EDIT 4/3/18* Went back and changed some stuff in the Arlong fight to make it a bit less like canon.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'M ALIVE! AND SO IS THIS FIC!**

 **Okay, for excuses and apologies, please see the notes at the end of the chapter. But since I know there are some of you who don't always read the end of chapter notes, there are a few important things I wanted to address here:**

 **1) I've posted the first chapter of the side fic for this story, which is called "For The Wings Of A Swallow". It's not long, just a quick look at what Ace is up to. I'm planning on putting everything that won't go into this story there. A lot of you have suggested omakes instead, but I like this idea better. Sorry to those of you who don't! But if you're interested, please go over and give it a look. I'll take prompts, too, if there's anything you want to see that hasn't been included here. I'm not promising I'll write every single one, but if the inspiration strikes, I will.**

 **2) Some people have asked if they could draw fan art for this story, to which my answer is definitely _YES_! Please do! I would be beyond honored, oh my gosh. All I ask is that you send me a link afterwards, since I'd love to see whatever you've made. And, if I have your permission, I'd also love to post it on the tumblr I made for this fic as well (with full credit going to the artist, of course, and a link to the original source!)**

 **3) After I've posted this chapter, I'll be heading over to that tumblr to upload the new picture I've drawn of Lily. For any of you interested in checking it out, it's: spitfirelily. tumblr. com. Just take out the spaces.**

 **Anyway, thank you to everyone who was so patient and encouraging for the last few months while I worked on this. Without further ado, chapter twenty-two!**

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" _Are you out of your mind?!_ "

If I was being totally honest, I was less surprised at the shrieking and more shocked that it had taken this long to happen. Already, it was mid-afternoon, lunch having been served over an hour ago, and so far everything had been downright peaceful. It was kind of weird.

I didn't want to know what it said about my life that hearing Nami and Usopp yelling on the other side of the deck in what could only be described as incredulous anger actually came as a relief.

At least, it did until I made my way over to them only to discover the victim of their rage was none other than Zoro, who was currently lifting a makeshift dumbbell that likely weighed more than everyone on deck combined.

Zoro, who also looked less than impressed with their fretting. "I saw a doctor, I was treated. I've had a bunch of sleep. I'm fine."

"That isn't how it works, you idiot!" Nami snarled, wild-eyed and looking seconds away from punching the swordsman straight in the neck, if only to get him to shut up. I refrained from making a comment on how such a thing wouldn't really be helpful to his physical health either, and instead focused on the idiot who was making all this trouble in the first place.

If you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't have any clue at all that he was anything but fine. But I could see the way his eyes were pinched, his movements more stiff than they should be. Sweat was gathering at his temples far faster than it ever had before and, under his tan, his skin was quickly paling. He had to be in excruciating pain and yet, still, he carried on lifting his weight and looking at us like we were worrying for nothing.

And I knew, given the way he'd been while on Nami's home island, that there wasn't much beyond knocking him out and tying him down that we could do to get him to stop.

Nothing much, that was, but maybe give him incentive.

And so, with a shrug, I stepped forward and took a grip on the other makeshift weight he'd set to the side, ignoring Nami and Usopp's frantic squawking as I went. "I guess if he's okay to train now, then it must mean I am too, right? After all, his injury was way worse than any of mine."

In fact, I likely _was_ okay to start training again. I'd never been one for taking long breaks while waiting for my injuries to heal before and I wasn't likely to start any time soon. Still, as I hefted the weight up, I made no attempt to hide my grimace as the action pulled on my ribs which, while healing, weren't completely a hundred percent just yet.

I persisted, though, even as I began paling myself, sweat rolling down my face and neck. I went out of my way to emphasize my heavy breathing and shaking muscles, where usually I'd be doing all I could to hide it and carrying on regardless.

Zoro's eyes had narrowed on me as soon as I'd stepped forward, both of us oblivious to the way our crewmates were now practically foaming at the mouth in fury and concern over us. He continued to watch me with suspicion for a few more moments before finally huffing and dropping his dumbbell to the deck unceremoniously, ignoring Usopp's indignant " _Oi!_ "

"Fine, whatever," he reluctantly relented, even as he did his best to hide his own uneven breathing. "Just put that down before you fall over."

I set my weight down far more gently, wanting to spare Merry as much abuse as I could, and smiled at him even as I hugged one arm tightly around my aching ribs. "It looks like just a few days and a nap or two aren't quite enough to get us back to full health, then, huh?"

He turned away from me, muttering insults all the while, but I could see the faint flush of embarrassment heating up the tips of his ears as he went and barely stopped myself from snickering at the sight. Before I could contemplate following and giving him more trouble, though, I was punched solidly in the arm and yelped.

"What was that for?" I demanded, turning wounded eyes towards Nami, who stared me down right back, unimpressed and unamused.

"I get what you were doing," she told me, hands on her hips as she radiated disapproval at me. "But it was still stupid. You aren't anywhere near healed either and you had no business trying to lift that weight."

"Honestly, my ribs are pretty much healed at this point. Just a little sore, still."

"It's been _days_!" She shrieked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "There is _no way_ that you've healed that much in _days_!"

I shrugged at her but said nothing more. I didn't understand it all that much myself, so it wasn't like I could explain it to her. All I knew was that I healed at an inhuman rate - or, inhuman compared to my old world, since this one was full of _crazy_ \- and it either had something to do with my genes, my name, or a combination of both. Still, I knew that scientifically it would probably make very little sense and Nami was someone who relied on logic more than anything, so it was probably best if I spared her the headache.

Instead I patted her on the head, consolingly. She glared at me, huffed, and then stomped her way across the deck back to the lounge chair she'd obviously been lazing in before our idiotic swordsman had stirred her temper. Usopp followed a moment later to return to whatever experiment he had been working on, but not before giving me a look of his own, one which clearly begged me not to goad Nami any further for awhile.

Which I found a bit insulting, really, as it wasn't like I did it on purpose.

Still, I tried to be on my best behavior for the remainder of the day, which was easy to do when Luffy was running around like a maniac instead. He knew that we were getting closer to the Grand Line, with only a single island to stop at for supplies first, and it seemed his energy levels were rising in proportion with how close we got.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Sanji called out that dinner was done, myself included. Yes, I was used to dealing with my brother and his hyperactive tendencies. That didn't mean it wasn't still exhausting at times.

We all walked into the galley to find a table filled to the brim with food, leaving barely enough room for our respective plates. It became immediately clear why Sanji had spent the entirety of the day locked away in the kitchen; obviously, he wanted his first meal for the full crew to be impressive. I could tell already that it would be, too, just from the smell. It was all I could do not to start drooling on the spot.

Luffy, not having the same compunctions _or_ self-control, was leaking like a faucet.

Sanji looked torn between preening at the obvious compliment and whacking his captain upside the head for being disgusting in the presence of ladies. After a moment he huffed, chose to do neither, and instead gestured for us to take our seats. If there was a bit more of a spring to his step than usual, we did our best not to comment on it.

"Wow, Sanji!" Nami smiled, face lit up in delight as she took her seat. Sanji, who'd been in the process of pulling the seat out for her, swooned so hard he nearly fell over. "This looks delicious! And there's so much, we'll have plenty of leftovers!"

"There's not going to be any leftovers," Zoro and I both told her at the same time, the swordsman's voice dry while mine was matter-of-fact.

There was _a_ _lot_ of food, though. Bowls and plates filled with potatoes and various vegetables, breads and broths and at least three different salads. And in the center of it all, a massive turkey, cooked to a mouthwatering golden brown. In all the Thanksgivings of my previous life, I had never seen a turkey that looked so good.

And then Sanji cut into it and my mind honestly blanked for a moment in sheer happiness.

" - It's all about timing," the cook was saying when I finally found myself able to pay attention again. He was very obviously proud of the meal he'd made and he had every right to brag, as far as I was concerned. "Those idiot bastards at the Baratie used to use bread stuffings between the layers, which makes it lose all its shape. Cut into it like that and it's all going to come spilling out everywhere. Using forcemeats is smarter. And with the way our idiot captain and the lovely Lily-chan like meat, I figured it would be the way to go."

"You're not wrong," I told him, my voice a bit faint. I couldn't tear my gaze away from the downright picturesque meal he was carving up before us. Because it wasn't just turkey, no matter how it had originally looked. No, it was a stuffed turkey. A _meat_ -stuffed turkey, with _five layers_ stuffed inside of it.

"What are the different layers made of?" Usopp asked, craning his neck from his seat to try and get a better look without actually getting up, impressed but not struck speechless the way I was, or too preoccupied with drooling the way my brother was.

"Turkey on the outside," Sanji answered, his tone becoming a bit more business-like now that he was addressing a male crew member but not losing its warmth. He gestured to each section with his carving knife as he named them. "Then duck, a layer of sage sausage, chicken, and more sausage at the center."

"So. Much. _Meat_ ," Luffy sighed from the head of the table, looking for all the world like he'd die the happiest man in the world at this moment, Pirate King title be damned. To be honest, I wasn't too far behind him. We'd both had plenty of different types of meat over the years from all the hunting we'd done, and it wasn't like we hadn't ever had more gourmet cooking on our various dine-n-dash exploits. But we'd never had anything like _this_ before.

"I take back everything I've ever thought or said about you," I looked up, meeting Sanji's gaze as I told him as seriously as I could, "You are never allowed to leave this crew."

He looked like his heart was seconds away from pounding out of his chest as he danced about the table, dishing out servings as he went. "But of course, Lily-chan! Like I could ever leave you and the lovely Nami-san here alone with these ugly brutes! I'll stay with you for the rest of my life!"

"Thank you," I told him as graciously as I could manage as my plate was placed before me, all of my attention zeroing in on it as the rest of his monologue carried on in the background. There was absolutely no way I could make myself pay attention to him when I had food like this in front of me and, honestly, I was pretty sure he'd prefer to see me stuffing my face with what he'd made then letting it go cold while complimenting him anyway.

The first bite was absolute _heaven_. I would never be able to go back to crudely roasting plain meats over a bonfire ever again.

For the first time in what seemed like my entire second life, the entirety of dinner passed silently. Even Nami and Usopp, who usually spent meals chatting idly, barely said a single word, focused as they were on the food. Sanji spent the entire time looking inordinately pleased with himself, as was his right.

As Zoro and I had predicted, there were no leftovers.

We continued to sit around the table even after the last of the food had disappeared into my brother's black hole of a stomach, all of us too full and content to move, save for Sanji, who got up a few times in order to refill drinks. He did it without even seeming to think about it, obviously still working off of a waiter's mentality from working at the restaurant. Or maybe he just felt it fell under his duties as cook? Either way, I appreciated it, as I wasn't actually sure I _could_ move for anything short of an emergency at the moment. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd felt this full.

One thing was for sure, though, and that was that I was ready to fall into a food coma. Looking around at the others, I could see I wasn't the only one, either. In fact, Zoro looked to be nodding off where he sat already. I rolled my head onto my shoulder, too content to put forth the energy of picking it up, ready to call out to Nami and ask if she was ready to head to the room when I stopped, getting a good look at her face.

On the surface she looked fine, merely stuffed like the rest of us. But under that I could feel her emotions roiling with vague unease and uncertainty. It didn't take a genius to figure out why, as her gaze bounced back and forth, like she didn't know who she wanted to look at, though it came to rest on Luffy more often than not.

It was true that it had been days since the defeat of Arlong and his crew, days in which her island had celebrated practically nonstop. And she'd had each of us there with her, too, as none of us really wanted to stray too far away from the others. But it hadn't been just us; we'd been surrounded by villagers the entire time from when Arlong Park fell to boarding the Going Merry and setting off that morning.

But now Nami was a part of the crew, fully and whole-heartedly, with no secrets or obligations keeping her from us anymore. And it was obvious that she didn't want to just get up and go to sleep, to walk away from everyone else but me for the night. And I didn't take it personally.

Nami wanted her crew. She wanted to be surrounded by us, to be able to look up and know that we were here with her, that it wasn't a dream and that she truly was free now. I couldn't fault her for it. In fact, I probably understood more than she realized.

A quick glance at Luffy and I knew I wasn't the only one drawing those conclusions. He might not have the talent I did with Observation, but he knew how to read people and, more than that, he knew how to read his crew. He'd probably known this was going to happen all day, actually, knowing him.

"Why don't we all have a sleepover?" He chirped, grin nearly splitting his face.

"A sleepover?" Usopp asked, sounding hesitant.

"If this is your way of trying to use me as a pillow again, it's not happening," Zoro grumbled, not even opening his eyes as he addressed us. Nami snickered as Usopp's jaw dropped, his face paling at the very idea of daring to use Zoro as a pillow, and Sanji didn't bother to hide his snort.

"I am not going into the boy's room," Nami stated, turning her nose up at the very idea. "I'm pretty sure you lot haven't cleaned it since you moved in and I don't think you've done any laundry, either." She wasn't the only one who's nose wrinkled at that. I may have grown up in a jungle and surrounded by bandits but that didn't mean I didn't have _standards_. Even Sanji grimaced at the thought of it. "And no way am I inviting any of you into the girl's room."

"We can set up blankets on the deck!" Luffy decided, undeterred. "It'll be just like when we were kids, Lili, when we'd train and be too tired to go back to the tree house so we'd just sleep in the training field."

I huffed a laugh at him. "It's a bit different when we're out on the open sea. But if the weather's amenable, it could work. If not, we could always use the Captain's Quarters. We've more or less converted it into extra storage space at this point, but there's still a huge bed in there that's never been used."

"It's probably dusty," Nami sighed. She obviously would have preferred the bed but was too relieved to be given options to argue. "It should be nothing but clear skies through the night and I'd be surprised if the temperature got anywhere out of the seventies range. So, it should be fine."

"Awesome!" Looking like a demented jack-in-the-box, Luffy was up and out of his seat in seconds, practically skipping his way to the door. "Come on, let's go! This is gonna be so much fun!"

The rest of us shared exasperated looks, Zoro letting out a long sigh, but we all got to our feet regardless. An order was an order, after all, even if it was a ridiculous one. And besides Zoro's suspicion of ulterior motives regarding his use as a pillow and Sanji's all-around uncertainty as the newest member of the crew and vague discomfort at the thought of sleeping in a pile made up of more men than women, nobody argued or even looked like they wanted to. In fact, Usopp looked downright excited, so much so that I guessed this was probably the first sleepover he'd ever experienced.

It didn't take long to gather what blankets and pillows were needed. Luffy and I both knew we didn't need either, as we'd spent numerous nights without while sleeping in a field somewhere, but we brought some anyway just in case one of the others wanted them. We started out clustered in a loose circle, Luffy and I placing Nami firmly between us without having to discuss it, and knowing it was the right discussion when her shoulders immediately sagged in relief. Zoro took my other side, Usopp taking Luffy's, which left the space directly across from Nami to Sanji.

All was silent for a moment as the others glanced around and fidgeted, looking unsure of what to do now, and as I hid my face in a pillow to muffle my snickering, I decided that Usopp clearly wasn't the only one who'd never experienced a sleepover like this before.

"Let's tell stories," Luffy decided and, when it became clear that nobody else was going to start and that I was too busy being amused at the sheer amount of awkwardness the others were exuding, he launched into a retelling of the time Ace had been learning Conqueror's Haki and had pissed off a pack of monkeys. Usually, that wouldn't have been a problem, but Gramps had specifically stated that during training, Ace wasn't allowed to use weapons or even his fists, just his haki. And if haki didn't work, he was to run. Which he _very_ reluctantly did. What he hadn't expected was for the monkeys to be so mad that they chased him. And then kept chasing him, even after he'd run clear to the other side of the jungle. And Gramps, being Gramps, spent the entire time laughing his ass off instead of chasing them off himself. Claimed that the experience was a good training opportunity.

Ace had returned home that night a mosaic of bruises and covered in cuts from head to toe. He'd been so exhausted that he'd barely eaten a fraction of his usual before crawling into bed. Of course, the next morning he'd eaten twice as much to make up for it, and then had stomped into the forest towards the monkey's den to get some payback. Which had resulted in another day of being chased.

It had taken him nearly a week to finally come out on top of that exchange, and his smug face when he'd come home that night injury free had been almost unbearable.

And that was the story of how Ace had been given the monkey equivalent of a kill-on-site order, Conqueror's Haki or no.

By the time Luffy had finished telling it, with interjections from me every now and then, even Zoro was laughing. Usopp wasted no time in speaking up with his own story and, while there were certainly a ridiculous amount of embellishments made, it was easy to pick out what was truth and what wasn't. Zoro and then Sanji went after him, telling tales of bounty hunting escapades and kitchen mishaps respectively, and soon enough the atmosphere had relaxed enough that we were all spreading out and invading each other's space.

Nami kept quiet through it all, simply content to soak up our company and inject commentary every now and then. It wasn't until after Sanji had finished telling about the time when he'd been a novice and had accidentally set one of Zeff's mustache braids on fire, and we'd all been howling in laughter at his impression of the older man's outrage, that the navigator spoke up hesitantly about the first time she'd been caught stealing and how Gen and Bell-Mere had gotten into an extremely amusing screaming match afterwards that hadn't ended until her mother had jokingly offered to pay him back with her body and he'd gone so red so quickly that he'd actually fainted.

It seemed that the floodgates had opened and soon Nami was telling us story after story of her childhood. We all noticed how she avoided anything that happened after her mother-figure had died but none of us complained. It was obvious that these were things she hadn't talked about in a long time, and if she had to stop to take a breath and wipe her tears away every now and again, no one said a thing about it. We just stayed with her and gave her our full attention, listened to everything she had to say and let her talk until her voice grew hoarse and she ran out of words. And then Luffy and I shuffled close to her, bundling her up tightly between the two of us, and I immediately launched into a story of the first time my brothers and I had gone out for ramen and had dine-n-dashed afterwards, which had Sanji scowling in disapproval at Luffy.

After that, we each continued to take turns, talking late into the night. None of us complained when Nami kept her silence, or when she was reminded of something in the middle of one of our stories and launched into one of her own. We were all content to listen to what she had to say or to let her sit and bask in the comfort we were heaping on her. And throughout it all, neither Luffy nor I let her go or moved away and she gave no indication that she wanted us to. In fact, as the night went on, the others continued to get closer and closer until we were all practically on top of each other.

Zoro was the first to conk out, unsurprisingly, and I wished that I was still in the habit of carrying markers around from when Ace had still been living with us. Sleepover traditions were _traditions_ , after all, but there was no way I was letting Nami go just to hunt some down. I sighed in disappointment and used him as a footrest instead.

Usopp was the next to drop and Sanji followed close behind, likely tired from all the cooking he'd done that day, and then it was just Nami, Luffy and I. The three of us kept quiet, not wanting to accidentally wake the others, and instead just leaned back against Merry's railing and gazed up at the clear night sky. I could tell Luffy was on the verge of dropping off, and I honestly wasn't too far behind him, when Nami spoke up.

"Thank you." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper and, if we hadn't been inches away from sitting in each other's laps, I doubt we would have even heard her. "You didn't have to help me. You could have just left, especially after how I treated you. But you stayed, and you saved me, and my sister and my village are alive right now because of you. So... Thank you."

"Of course," Luffy told her, words slurring as sleep pulled at him. "You're my navigator."

I hummed in agreement, reaching up to pat her head and getting her cheek instead. "Not letting you go now. Stuck with us."

Her breathing hitched in what sounded suspiciously close to a sob as she choked out another " _Thank you_ " but, even in my current half-asleep state, she felt nothing but content and overwhelmingly grateful. I simply held her tighter and smiled as I finally dropped into sleep.

.

* * *

.

I could tell, from the moment I blinked my eyes open, that it was early. Earlier, even, than I usually woke up. I had no clue what had jolted me out of sleep until I took I cursory head-count and found our pile one short.

A second's concentration found Sanji in the kitchen, his aura tired but content.

With a grumble about crazy morning people, and ignoring the complete hypocrisy of such insults coming from me, I fought my way free of the tangle of limbs I'd become trapped in during the night. Having placed Nami between us had worked to my advantage in this case, as Luffy's rubbery clutches had wound up around her and Usopp instead. Leaving me to burrow out from under Zoro's snoring frame and the legs that Nami had thrown over my waist.

Once I stood free of the cuddle puddle, I couldn't help but snicker at the sight of Usopp's arms thrown over Zoro's back, his head resting peacefully on the swordsman's shoulder. Part of me wanted to stay, because seeing the look of absolute horror on the sniper's face when he realized exactly who it was he was cushioned against was bound to be _amazing_.

But for all that he'd been a member of the crew for days now, I still had yet to spend any one-on-one time with Sanji. I knew it wasn't technically a requirement but it felt wrong not to. I'd somehow ended up spending time with every member of the crew not long after they'd joined. To not do so with Sanji felt unfair of me.

That thought in mind, I made my way to the kitchen, mourning the missed pranking opportunities I was leaving behind me.

Really, the things I did for my crewmates.

Sanji, when I entered, was standing at the sink and scrubbing away at a pan, shirt rolled up at the elbows and a pile of wet, gleaming dishes already drying on the counter. I couldn't stop the dismayed noise that slipped from me.

"You don't have to do the dishes," I admonished him. "You cooked."

He blinked up at me for a second, clearly surprised by my presence, before whirling into action. "Ah, Lily-chan! Good morning, you must be hungry! I'll have breakfast ready in no time at all, only the best for one so lovely~!"

I laughed at his ridiculous display, which clearly delighted him, but said nothing against it as he grabbed one of the recently-washed pans and headed to the fridge to gather up ingredients. I _was_ pretty hungry, after all, even if I'd been stuffed to the brim only hours before.

Instead, I simply shrugged and made my way to the spot he had vacated at the sink, grabbing up the soapy rag and getting to work with scrubbing. My brothers and I had never helped with the housework at Dadan's, no matter how much she whined and demanded. At first it had simply been because we didn't want to but later, for me at least, it became more because of how amusing her reactions were. Still, Makino had never let Luffy and I out of chores so easily, even after we no longer lived with her. And at a bar, dishes always needed to be done.

There was a squawk of protest behind me when the blond caught sight of what I was doing.

"Lily-chan, you don't have to dirty your soft, delicate hands with such work!" I shot him a disbelieving glance, because my hands were far from soft _or_ delicate, given the way training had covered them in callouses, but he carried on regardless. "I'll be done with this in just a moment. Such a beautiful woman should never be made to do such dirty work."

Part of me was glad that his misogynistic tendencies at least didn't translate into thinking women were only good for housework and cooking. Not that I'd truly expected it, anyway, since he knew better than anyone that cooking was something that wasn't bound by gender. The larger part of me, however, was exasperated bordering on annoyed, especially when he made as if to herd me away from the sink.

"Sanji." The serious, hard tone of my voice had him freezing and blinking at me in astonishment. I knew it was because it was the same tone Luffy used when giving orders and, while not as effective as when our captain did it, it did the trick of getting the cook to actually _listen_. "I'm a woman, yeah, but I'm also a member of this crew. Which means that I have to do chores just as much as the boys. You cook for us. Which means that unless something has to be cleaned in a specific way, you don't do the dishes. That's just how it works."

"One of the men can get it, you don't have to -"

" _Sanji_." I sighed, turning to face him, hands on my hips, heedless of the soapy water beginning to soak into my jacket. This was a conversation I knew I would have to have with the blond at some point but I hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Still, now was probably as good a time as any, since it was just the two of us.

"Look, I get that you have this whole ' _dashing prince charming_ ' thing going on, yeah? And I don't know if that's just you, or if you were raised that way, and it's not that it's necessarily a _bad_ thing. But you take it way too far." I shook my head at his uncomprehending face. "For some girls, they'll like that and appreciate it. And hey, so long as it doesn't hurt either of you, that's great. But for some, like me, it feels more like you're looking down on us than anything. I'm a girl, yeah, but I can still clean and do chores. I can still fight, and I can handle it when I get hurt. I, personally, don't want special treatment just because of my gender. And I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't try to coddle me."

My piece said, I turned my attention back to the sink. Behind me, Sanji was silent and unmoving, though I could feel his gaze on me, still. It wasn't until a few moments had passed that he finally moved, stepping up to my side to lean against the counter next to me.

"Zeff taught me," he admitted, brow furrowed and frown tugging at his mouth. "It was an iron-clad rule: a real man should never hurt a lady. He said that I could make mistakes as many times as I wanted as a human, but the day I messed up as a man would be the day he castrated me before slitting his own throat." His face cleared abruptly, the corners of his lips twitching into a reluctant looking smile. "I asked why he'd go so far and he said it was his duty and what it means to be a parent. He didn't want me to ever become someone that he would despise."

"Old man Zeff is a good person, though a bit old-fashioned," I grinned. Hearing this explained so much about Sanji's all-over personality. Of course it was something he had learned from Zeff. _Of course_ it was. "I'm all for respecting women, though I feel it should be more about respecting all people, regardless of gender, so long as they deserve it. But respecting someone means more than not hurting them or waiting on them hand and foot. It also means respecting their decisions and their boundaries. Not to do so is just as bad as not showing any respect at all."

Sanji's head had lowered as I talked, his bangs hanging down around his face and concealing his eyes. He was a roiling mass of conflicting emotions. I could tell that he understood what I'd said but it was going against the rule he'd pretty much shaped his life around: to be gracious towards women.

"No one ever said anything before," he quietly admitted a moment later. "Guys complained all the time, but I didn't care about any of that. But ladies never seemed to mind. They always blushed, and laughed, and seemed to appreciate it. Even if they didn't like flirting, or if they were there with a guy, they still didn't seem to mind all that much."

"Most of them probably didn't," I admitted easily, placing the last clean dish on the counter before rinsing my hands and turning the water off once more. The sudden silence seemed loud. "I'm not saying that no woman wants to be treated that way. A lot probably do. Just not all of us." I shrugged. "Plus, you were working. Some of them might have just seen it as you vying for a bigger tip or something."

"I wouldn't do that!" He protested, indignant. "Besides, it's not like I kept the money for myself. I gave most of it to Zeff."

"You really care for him, don't you?" I asked him, smile going soft when he avoided my eyes, cheeks dusting with pink.

"Well, of course," he shrugged, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "He saved my life and gave up a lot for me. He raised me, even when he didn't have to."

"How old were you? When you met?" I knew he had been young, just a boy working on a ship.

"Ten." He didn't elaborate more than that and I didn't ask him to. Starving alone on a rock in the middle of the ocean for weeks wouldn't be something I'd want to talk about, either.

I also didn't ask where he'd come from before that. I knew he'd come from the North Blue but, as far as I was aware, nothing else had been said about his home life prior to meeting Zeff. Maybe I'd died before the manga had progressed that far, in my old life, or maybe there'd been throwaway lines that I'd just forgotten. But I also knew that, as a member of the Strawhat Crew, it was unlikely that he'd had a great childhood. From what I remembered, Usopp and Zoro were the ones who'd had the most peaceful time as kids, and even they had experienced someone close to them dying.

If Sanji wasn't giving out the details freely then I wasn't going to ask for them right now. Maybe later down the line, after I'd known him longer, but for now it wasn't imperative that I know. Instead, I chose to focus back on my original point.

"For the most part, I don't mind the flirting. It's kinda funny, honestly. And I'm not trying to tell you that you need to change who you are. I'm just asking that you respect my decisions. Don't treat me like I'm weak, or like I can't do something just because I'm a girl. That's all that I want."

Sanji had just opened his mouth to reply when a shout of " _FOOD!_ " came from outside, followed by cries of indignation and rage. Clearly, Luffy was awake, and it was likely that everyone else was now, as well.

"You'd better get started on breakfast," I suggested through my snickering. "He'll be beating down the door any second now."

The blond sighed, looking resigned. "It's going to be like this every day, isn't it?"

I grinned, unrepentant. "Yup."

.

* * *

.

Breakfast was the usual spectacle it always was, accentuated by Nami's glare, Zoro's unimpressed glower and Usopp's cowering whenever he accidentally caught the swordsman's eyes. As much as I still wished I'd been around to see realization dawn on both men after they'd woken, this was enough to have me snickering throughout the entire meal.

Afterwards, we all gathered on the deck. Zoro was clearly chaffing to begin training again while Usopp and Nami had had plenty of time off. As for myself, the last fight had shown me that Armament had to become a priority for me. Keeping up with my Observation training was important, but not _as_ important as actually being able to call upon my Armament whenever I needed it, which was something that I couldn't do right now.

If I'd been able to, Arlong never would've been able to injure me to such an extent. Hell, almost all of the injuries I'd gained since setting sail would've been avoided, if only I'd been able to rely on my haki.

Still, for now I decided to focus on Nami and Usopp while the Monster Trio headed farther up the deck to seemingly toss each other around.

"So far," I started once I had their attention, "we've been focusing on your haki training and not much else. But that's going to take you awhile to master to the point that it becomes useful in a fight, so for now all you've really got to rely on is your own strength and cleverness. So, I want you both to come at me with all you've got, so I can see just where you stand."

"Are you crazy?" Nami demanded, Usopp nodding fervently along beside her. "You're still injured! What if we hurt you?"

"You really aren't going to," I assured them, and then winced, because that had come out a lot crueler than I'd planned it to, if their drooping shoulders were any indication. I sighed at them and then plopped down onto the deck, because this was something I had to get through to them now, rather than later.

After a second's hesitation, they both followed my lead and sat across from me.

"Look," I sighed again, running a hand through my bangs to push them up and out of my face. "I'm not really normal, okay? Even without all of the extra training and shit I did growing up, I still probably would've been a lot stronger than most people, just because of my genes. But I _did_ do a lot of training growing up, same as my brothers. Which means I can take a lot more damage than most and keep on going. But you guys..."

I took a deep breath, trying to decide on how to say this.

"You didn't grow up like I did. You've both had your trials, for sure," I cut in when it looked like Nami was puffing up in indignant hurt. "You've had to live through some really awful shit, and I'm not belittling that, not at all. But I was fighting, day in and day out. It wasn't life or death, all the time, but it was _all the time_. The strength that I have, that didn't just come out of nowhere. I had to work for it. You two are used to relying on your smarts to save you, and that's not a bad thing. Strength alone won't do much if you have no idea what to do with it, after all. But right now, physically, you two are the weakest members of this crew."

It was a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless.

"We know that," Usopp mumbled, fists clenched tightly and eyes averted. " _I_ know that. I would've never been able to fight those fishmen like you guys did. I would've been cut down in a second if I'd been facing that shitty butler on my own. I _know that_."

Nami's face looked to be crumpling in shame and defeat, even as a defiant, bitter light shown in her eyes. "I was never gonna be strong enough to face them. Bell-Mere wasn't, after all, and none of the villagers were, either. What chance in hell did I have? I _tried_ , but it was never enough!"

"I know," I whispered, heart breaking for the two of them. They knew that they weren't as strong as the rest of us, had known from the very beginning. What I was telling them wasn't anything new, though it likely stung a bit more coming from the mouth of a friend. Even before they met my brother and I, before they joined this crew, they'd known they were weaker than their opponents. "But you still stood up to them, didn't you?"

They both blinked at me, startled, not having expected that.

"You knew you were weaker than they were. You knew that, if it came to a fight, you wouldn't stand a chance on your own. But you still stood up to them. Usopp, you still decided that you were going to fight to protect your home, to protect Kaya, even before we said we'd help you. You were ready to die for that, if you had to. And Nami, you spent years trying your hardest, doing everything that you could to protect those that you loved. You took so much pain on to yourself, willingly, and bore it alone as best as you could. And that's why Luffy chose you. You can't do much in a fight on your own right now, it's true, but that doesn't mean you're weak. And it definitely doesn't mean you can't get stronger." I grinned at the two of them as I pushed myself back up onto my feet and took a ready stance, beckoning them up and forward with my hand. "But, to get stronger, I need to see where you're at right now. And to do that, I need you to come at me, okay? Don't hold back."

They still hesitated at first, which wasn't too surprising. They'd seen the number Arlong had done on me with their own eyes, after all, and no normal person would be able to heal from that quickly. Maybe, in time, they'd get over it, would learn to take it in stride that my brother and I weren't really ones to be judged by normal, human standards. But for now I just tried to be as patient as I could with them, until they seemed to realize that I really wasn't lying or just trying to act tough.

My prediction ended up being true, in the end. Even giving it all they had, they still weren't able to hurt me. Not that I'd expected them to, when coming at me with just their fists and nothing else, but still, I could see a bit of the resigned disappointment in their faces as they slumped back down onto the deck, covered in sweat and out of breath, as I sat across from them once more without even a hitch in my breathing.

"If you had your weapons, or if this was more than just a hand-to-hand fight, I wouldn't have been able to handle that as easily," I told them, but it was a bit of an empty platitude. I wouldn't have been able to handle them as easily, true, but it wouldn't have exactly been hard. Part of the reason they won so many of their battles right now was because they were underestimated, though that certainly didn't mean they were weak. And like I'd already told them, it wasn't like they couldn't get stronger. And I'd already promised to help Nami with that, hadn't I?

"It's not so bad, when it comes to your positions, being a bit weaker than other crew members," I told them. "Usopp, as the sniper, you really shouldn't be getting into any direct fights anyway, if you can help it. Staying hidden and taking out opponents before they even realize you're there is kind of in your job description. And navigator isn't really a position that should call for front-line fighting, since it'll be important for us to keep you safe. You're the one guiding us and, especially once we reach the Grand Line, you're definitely going to be, like, the most important crew member. Without you, we're not going to make it very far at all, no matter how strong we are. Still, if you're ever separated from us for whatever reason, it'll be better if you can defend yourself until back-up gets to you, at the very least."

Nami and Usopp were both nodding along, looking much more upbeat now. What I was telling them was true, after all. And not everyone had an aptitude for fighting, or even a desire for it. I knew that they both wanted to be stronger, for their own reasons, but I didn't really see them as the type that would genuinely enjoy fighting, not like my brothers and I, or Zoro and Sanji, did. And that was okay. But I never wanted them to end up hurt because of it. I wanted to do everything in my power to protect my nakama. One way to do that was to teach them haki. Another way was this.

I had a feeling it'd be awhile before they thanked me for either.

"So, when you're not getting whacked with sticks during haki training, I'm going to be throwing you around the deck while teaching you how to defend yourself against opponents that are stronger than you," I grinned wide and had the pleasure of watching them both rapidly pale before me. "It's going to be a lot of fun, I promise."

It was a lot of fun, for me. They spent most of it groaning and whimpering, but I personally had a blast.

Once I was pleased with their progress for the day, I set them to Observation training with Sanji and Zoro, ordering them to play a convoluted game of blindfolded tag while also begging none of them to fall overboard, and then determinably handed Luffy a stick and told him to go at it. My Armament wasn't going to train itself, after all.

Four hours and countless bruises later, Sanji announced that it was time to prepare lunch while Usopp and Nami groaned in gratitude and spread out on the deck unceremoniously to catch their breath.

"I hate this," I grumbled from where I still sat. I could tell that Luffy was aiming a hit to the right side of my head and it took everything in me not to dodge out of the way. Concentrating hard enough to furrow my brows, I could feel a slight layer of a shield blossom into existence just seconds before the wood struck me. Still, while the hit didn't hurt, I could feel the force behind it, which told me the amount of haki I'd used hadn't been nearly enough. If that blow had been meant to truly hurt me, it would've. "I depend on my Observation out of habit, now, and so I'm always already halfway through using it. It takes so much more effort to stop myself and focus on Armament instead. It's like trying to grab hold of water and having it strain right through your fingers."

Luffy hummed in thought, even as he took aim at me again. "Observation is more like water. Armament is more like pushing something out, like when I blow myself up to do a Balloon."

I paused, thinking of that. It... made a lot of sense, really. When it came to Observation, you were trying to pull something in towards you, essentially, the awareness of where other beings are and, once you reach a certain level of mastery, what they're feeling and maybe even what they're thinking. Each person was like a ripple upon the surface of a calm lake. The more powerful a person was, the bigger the ripple they made. Armament, though, had nothing to do with outside forces; it was all about yourself. Your own will, manifested into a protective layer around your body.

I'd been thinking of them as the same even as I knew they were different. But, maybe...

My train of thought was cut off by the squawking of an arriving News Coo, which had Nami whining in frustration even as she doggedly dragged herself back up onto her feet.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," she grumbled as it cawed again from it's perch on Merry's railing, clearly impatient. "Just give me today's paper, will you?"

The bird obligingly held out the wanted newspaper and, after she'd taken hold of it, puffed out it's chest, and thus the coin purse attached to it, expectantly.

"Another price increase?" She demanded, unimpressed and indignant, and I sighed. Nami would always be Nami, clearly.

"It's just a newspaper," I told her, shrugged when she turned her glare towards me. "If you think it's too expensive, then just don't buy it. Most of what's printed is just Government propaganda anyways."

"That's not the point," she grumbled before turning her attention back towards the impatiently waiting bird. "Raise the price again, though, and I really won't be buying from you any longer."

The bird raised it's wing, saluting almost indulgently, before taking off once more. Nami huffed at the attitude but paid it no more mind, attention going towards the paper now in her hands instead.

"Besides," Usopp spoke up from where he still laid splayed out on the deck next to a slumbering Zoro, "I thought you were done with saving up money? Why do you care so much how expensive the paper is?"

"Don't be an idiot," she admonished almost absently as her eyes trailed over the various headlines. "There's no way I'm going around broke. I'm saving money for myself now, and no one else."

"Nami's Nami," Luffy nodded, as if it should be obvious. Which, really, it kind of was. Nami took way to much joy out of acquiring money for it to have ever only been a duty.

Before Nami could get riled enough to comment on _that_ , a piece of paper drifted down from the newspaper to land serenely on the deck, quickly followed by another.

Now, I'd been expecting Luffy's bounty to show up any day now, since I'd known he'd gotten it shortly after Arlong Park. I'd been expecting his and _only_ his.

Which was why the bounty poster with my picture on it, proclaiming me as _'Spitfire Lily'_ , wanted dead or alive for 18,000,000 berries, was a definite surprise.

There was a moment of absolute silence on deck before all hell broke loose.

"Look, look! I'm in the picture, too! I might even be famous now!"

"I've got a bounty! Lili, we've both got bounties! We're wanted now!"

"Shut up, you idiots! Don't you realize how bad this is?!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," I growled as I snatched my own poster from Luffy's excitedly flailing hands.

"See, Lily gets it!" Nami yelled, taking the chance to whack the other two upside the head. "This isn't a laughing matter! The marines are seriously going to be after us now and bounty hunters are, too! Your lives are going to be in real danger!"

" _Spitfire_ Lily?!" I demanded, thrusting the paper into their faces and pointing aggressively at my new moniker. "Really? They just had to go with _that_? Where did that even come from, anyway, I don't do anything with fire! Shanks is never, ever going to let me live this down, do you realize that?"

Luffy, finally having caught on, promptly dissolved into hysterics.

" _Why?_ " My voice was quickly turning into more of a whine than anything. "Why does this nickname continue to haunt me? What have I done to deserve this?"

" _That's_ what you're concerned about?" Nami demanded, throwing her hands up into the air in frustration. "Seriously?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged, turning the poster over to examine it more closely. "Eighteen million isn't too bad of a starting bounty, considering it's from the East Blue. And the picture they got of me is pretty bad ass, so no complaints there. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it, though I'd be happier if they'd chosen a better moniker than my seven-year-old nickname. Seriously, you guys think I'm kidding but I'm not. Shanks is probably pissing himself in glee right now."

"You know what? I give up," Nami decided tiredly, shoving the forgotten newspaper into Usopp's startled arms and making her way towards the galley. "We'll be landing in Loguetown in about an hour."

"Loguetown?" Luffy asked, finally having calmed his laughter, but Nami ignored him and continued walking, clearly truly done with our collective ridiculousness for the time being. Shaking my frustration over my newly given title to the back of my head for now, I promptly called up what facts I knew about the island we were heading towards.

It wasn't difficult. Loguetown was very famous, especially in East Blue. It was the only tourist attraction we had, really, which basically made it our pride and joy, regardless of how it had actually come about.

"Loguetown. It's pretty famous. It's known as the Town of the Beginning and the End. It's where the former Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born and where he was executed."

"Where the Pirate King died, huh?" Luffy asked, suddenly a whole lot more invested than he had been.

"Mm," I agreed. "It's also proof that we're getting close to the Grand Line. That island will be our last stop before we get there. It looks like we'll have just enough time to eat lunch before we land."

"Food!" Luffy cheered, sufficiently distracted, and began racing towards the kitchen. I felt a bit bad, as Nami hadn't gotten anywhere near as long of a break as she'd probably been hoping for, but shrugged it off. It was lunch time, after all, and I _was_ starting to get a bit hungry. Besides, after hearing all that, the only way to keep Luffy from literally bouncing around in excitement was to distract him with food.

An outraged shout bellowed from the direction Luffy had just gone, clearly from Sanji, and Usopp and I shared a commiserating look before making our way after him, kicking Zoro awake as we passed.

.

* * *

.

Loguetown was definitely the biggest city I'd seen thus far, not including Goa Kingdom.

From where we docked, it seemed to sprawl on almost endlessly, with shops in every conceivable corner they could be fitted into. It made sense; as such an attraction, this place was guaranteed to rake in the business, from tourists and pirates on their way to the Grand Line alike.

"This place is _huge_ ," Usopp breathed in awe, hands shielding his eyes from the sun in order to get a better look around. He looked positively giddy, like a kid let loose in a candy store, and I remembered that so far, the only places he'd been were his quiet little village, Nami's bigger but still quaint island, and a restaurant in the middle of the ocean.

"So, the pirate age all began here, huh?" Sanji asked, taking a long drag from the cigarette hanging loosely from between his lips.

"I'm heading to the execution stand," Luffy announced decisively, like there'd been any doubt after how much he'd talked about it during lunch.

"I can probably get some good food and ingredients here," the blond cook mused, hand to his chin in thought. I decided to gamely ignore his muttered comments about picking up beautiful women while he was at it.

"And I'm going to look for some equipment to buy," Usopp added, hands on his hips and chest proudly jutting out.

"Looks like we'll be splitting up, then," I nodded, already having seen this coming. "Well, if you get into any trouble, just try to project your panic _really loudly_. Luffy will probably be able to feel it, and I definitely will."

"There's something I need to get, too, but..." Zoro trailed off as Nami's eyes practically lit up into beli signs.

"I'd be happy to lend you some money," she simpered sweetly, affecting an innocent and bashful countenance. "At a three hundred percent interest rate, of course."

I tried to stop that train wreck from happening, I truly did. Waving my hands frantically and shaking my head in the negative, you'd think he would've at least paused to realize that he was probably making a deal with the devil.

But no. Instead of thinking it through at all, he readily agreed, pocketing the money and sauntering on his way into town. I sighed after him, disappointed.

"That was really mean," I accused the maniacally grinning navigator at my side.

"I have no idea what you mean," she sniffed, mock-indignant. "I'm just helping a crewmate out while also protecting my own investments."

"Oh, is that what they're calling extortion now-a-days?"

" _Anyways_ ," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, "I'm heading to the clothing shops to pick up a few much needed outfits. Want to come with me?"

"Nah, I figured I'd just walk around until something caught my eye, honestly. I'll probably end up circling around and meeting up with Lu later."

She sighed, forlorn. "You could look so cute if you just wore something besides ratty jeans and a grungy jacket."

"Maybe," I admitted, unconcerned. "But any nice clothes I bought would just get ruined by fighting in them anyway, so what's the point?"

Nami just sighed again, shook her head, and promptly turned on her heel, clearly done with me. I stared after her for a moment before shrugging and heading my own way.

It wasn't like I was lying, after all. The amount of clothes I'd gone through as a child, all supplied by Makino, was truly ridiculous. Even the jacket I was wearing now was still functioning only because of the extensive repairs it had gone through. I might not be the beli-pincher that Nami was, but that didn't mean I wanted to just _waste_ my money.

I made my way through the streets slowly, ears and senses both wide open, catching snippets of gossip here and there while also keeping an eye on my wandering crewmates. I couldn't sense any large auras and it had me wondering if Dragon was going to show up to see us off, like he had for Luffy in canon, or if meeting me as a kid had somehow changed things.

I hoped that it hadn't. As much as I knew Luffy didn't really care much about it, I still wanted him to be able to meet our father. And it would be nice to see the man again, even if I wouldn't be able to really say much to him, for fear of any listening ears.

So, I kept the majority of my attention pointed outwards, even as I browsed the windows and stalls set up along the street. Considering the only thing that truly succeeding in capturing my interest was food, it wasn't too much of a hardship.

It was just as I was turning towards the more unsightly part of town that I noticed them. Bounty posters plastered all over the walls on either side of the street, as if posting them in less reputable areas would somehow discourage crime.

I shook my head. Sometimes - _most of the time_ \- the Government's logic really threw me for a loop.

And that was when I saw it, on proud display right in the middle of the wall: my own confidently smirking and blood-splattered visage. I couldn't help but stomp up to it and rip it from the wall, irritated.

It wasn't so much that I absolutely hated the moniker, really. More, it was what I had been called as a _kid_. Sure, various other people had called me by the name for some reason or other over the years, but still. It was my _childhood nickname_. And now it was going to be my pirate moniker? For the rest of my life?

Everyone I met from now on was going to know me by this name. I wasn't ever going to escape from it, and Shanks was going to give me _so much shit_.

"Well, well," a voice called out from behind me as I took my anger out on the innocent piece of paper, crumpling it up into a ball and tearing into it, "if it isn't Spitfire Lily."

I sighed and spun around, insults already on my tongue for whoever had just called me out at the most inopportune moment, only to completely freeze when I caught sight of the man now standing in front of me.

"... Sabo?"

Stupidly, the first thought I had was that he was taller than I remembered, which, _duh_. He'd definitely grown, though. He was taller than Ace had been the last time I'd seen him, with a far lankier frame, though his chest had a fair bit of bulk on it. His smile was tilted oddly on the left side, pulled at by the scars that had long since healed on his face, though most of them were hidden by the hair he had let grow out, now curling down around his ears. His sense of style hadn't changed much, complete with cravat and a top hat while his long coat billowed out around his legs, a long and durable-looking iron pipe strapped across his back.

His grasp on Observation Haki had to be exceptional as, even seeing him with my own eyes standing right in front of me, I could barely feel him at all.

"Hey, there, little sister," he greeted, eyes going soft as he took in my own appearance, cataloging changes, much as I'd done for him. "God, you've gotten so tall."

"Like you're one to talk," I snorted. As it was, I probably barely came up past his shoulders now.

"Wait," his voice suddenly sounded choked, like he was holding back laughter or emotion, or both. "Is that... Did you get a tattoo?!"

"Oh, yeah," I perked up, turning slightly to show it off more. It wasn't anything fancy, really, just three stylized letters. Still, they meant the world to me, and I knew Sabo understood why. "Felt right. It's pretty new actually, just got it a few days ago. Lu was the only one who understood it, though the others haven't asked, yet. I'll probably explain it to them eventually."

"You... a _tattoo_ ," he groaned, putting his face in his hands. " _I_ don't even have a tattoo, seriously."

"I told you," I said defensively, "it just felt right. It was really spur of the moment. And I like it!"

"I do, too," he admitted, going for grudging and missing by a mile. "Really, you and Ace are so similar. Wait, Luffy isn't tattooed, too, is he?!"

I laughed at the sudden panic in his voice. "Lu, get a tattoo? No way! You know he's a giant baby when it comes to the little stuff."

"True enough," Sabo sighed, seeming relieved that he wasn't the only one not sporting ink in our family.

For a moment, we both just stood there, facing each other in silence. And then, as one, we lunged forward, much like the last time we had seen each other, and wrapped our arms tightly around the other.

"I missed you so much," I whispered, unable to help the way my eyes were watering. I'd expected Dragon to show up, but I hadn't expected _this_. This was so much better. "How did you know we'd be here?"

"I didn't, not really," he admitted easily, never once letting up on the embrace. "But it seemed pretty likely. And we had business out here anyway, so it worked out. Dragon-san wanted to see the both of you off, as well."

It took awhile for us to finally work up the nerve to let each other go and, even then, we stayed close together, not straying more than a foot apart at a time. It had been almost ten years since the last time I'd seen him, after all, and letters could only go so far. And he hadn't even had that, since we hadn't been able to write him back at all, not knowing where he was at any given time.

He quickly led me to a bar at the end of the street, one that was fairly empty with relatively dark corners, its walls plastered with even more bounty posters. I scowled when I caught sight of my own and Sabo, noticing, chuckled at me.

"What's the matter?" He asked, taking a seat in the corner booth with a sight-line of the entire room while simultaneously signalling the bartender for a drink. "Unhappy with it?"

"Not really," I admitted reluctantly. "Just being a bit of a baby about the moniker, I guess."

"I think it suits you," he assured me. "Especially with a picture like that. Definitely intimidating."

I preened a bit under his praise, unable to help it. "You really think so?"

"I do," he promised, smiling at me indulgently. "You and Lu have been doing a good job of making a name for yourselves out here in the East. Dragon-san's really proud of you, too, you know."

It wasn't like it really made much of a difference, one way or the other, if our father was proud of us or not. After all, I'd only met the man for a few hours, had barely spoken to him at all. Still, it somehow made me feel better, lighter, knowing that what we'd done so far had earned his approval.

I waited until the bartender had placed a mug of ale on the table before my brother, shaking my head when asked if I wanted anything, before asking the question that had been on my mind since I'd first seen him. "What are you doing this far east, anyway? You said something about having business out here?"

"Ah, yeah, nothing too major. Honestly, some of the younger recruits probably could've handled it and I really should be on my way to my next assignment in the Grand Line, but Dragon-san and I kind of used what's been going on here as an excuse to come see you and your crew off."

"So, what's been going on here?" I asked, trying to ignore the way his words left me feeling warmed from the inside out. Honestly, it was hard to be anything but completely giddy right now. "I don't think I've heard of anything happening around here lately."

"Ah, no, you probably wouldn't," Sabo sighed, leaning back in his seat and fiddling with the hat he'd set on the tabletop when we'd first entered. "You know as well as I do that the World Government can be downright shady at the best of times, and that they like exploiting everything they can, so long as it benefits them. Hence the Shichibukai."

I nodded, knowing this already, especially after reiterating it for my crew during the whole Arlong debacle.

"They also love to exploit every human trafficking ring they can get their hands on. Most think it's something that just happens at the end of the Grand Line, near Sabaody, when they actually choose to acknowledge that it happens at all. But that's not the truth. That's just where most of the slaves end up before being sold off. Which is why we're here. There's been a very lucrative slave trade going on in the underground of Loguetown for some time now."

"Here?" I demanded, surprised. It wasn't so much that I thought it was impossible for slavery to touch the Blues, and I should've definitely known better than to take things at face value. After all, on the outside, Goa Kingdom looked like a positively beautiful, peaceful and wonderful place, but it was also a place that would burn hundreds of people alive in the dead of night and then kill the survivors, feeling no remorse after the fact. "Isn't there a Marine base here, though?"

Sabo shook his head, looking resigned and aggravated all at once. "They're not targeting civilians, so the Government is essentially turning a blind eye towards it. They're only going after pirates and the odd bounty hunter, people no one would really miss or notice the absence of. That's why you haven't heard anything about it. It's likely no one living here has even really noticed, and those that have know better than to run their mouths."

"If that's the case, then how do you guys know?" I asked, curious despite myself.

He smirked at me, the right side of his mouth twitching up farther as if to offset the pull of his scars. "Just who do you think we are, Ana? We've got people everywhere."

I scoffed at him but said no more about it. He probably wasn't lying, after all, and after seeing his mastery over hiding his own aura and knowing that I hadn't felt any others that stood out, despite searching, I had to figure that the lot of them were more than adequate at hiding themselves away in plain sight.

"Anyway," he shrugged, taking a long pull from his drink, "like I said, it's not really something that requires the higher-ups to deal with, but it did make a good enough excuse to be here. It shouldn't take too long to get it all handled. In the mean time, though, how about we head towards the execution stand? I'm guessing the unrestrained and overly-excited aura coming from that area is Luffy."

"Who else would it be?" I snorted, unimpressed, but stood to follow him regardless. I couldn't wait to see Luffy's reaction to seeing our brother again. The last time they'd seen each other, Luffy had been down on the ground, beaten, and Sabo had been walking away from us and refusing to look back.

"He's probably going to cry," I admitted after we'd been walking in comfortable silence for about ten minutes.

"Hm?" Sabo hummed, glancing at me questioningly.

"Luffy," I elaborated. "He's probably going to cry when he sees you. Big, snotty tears."

The blond grimaced but gamely continued forward, not even bothering to hide the light of excitement in his eyes. He was likely even more excited to see Luffy than he had been to see me, which I didn't take personally. After all, at least the two of us got a proper goodbye.

"Oh," that thought had jogged my memory and I realized that I'd yet to ask, "were you able to meet up with Ace? How did that go?"

Sabo laughed, tone full of relief. "You ended up being right, he _did_ punch me. And then he hugged me so tight I thought my ribs were gonna crack. It really surprised me. The Ace I remembered would've never endured a hug like that, let alone started one."

"You're welcome," I chirped, gleeful. I was really glad that all the hard work Lu and I had put into teaching Ace how to accept physical affection hadn't gone right out the window as soon as we weren't there to reinforce it any longer. "It took awhile to do, and it didn't help that Ace is as stubborn as he is. But some stuff happened after you left and he started to take his role as our big brother very seriously. So, he never really turned us away whenever we went to him for comfort, and as you know, Lu and I were always big on hugging. He got used to it eventually."

"Even though he still turned bright red every single time?" Sabo asked, amused, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Even then," I agreed, unrepentant. What? I thought it was hilarious and adorable, sue me.

"We didn't actually get a chance to meet until he was already in the Grand Line, though. It was only because of the info network we have that I was even able to find him, the idiot. He'd already gathered a pretty impressive crew by then."

"Have you heard from him since then?"

"Nah, not really. I gave him a number he could call if he really needed to, but I already knew it was unlikely that he would. You know how he gets."

"Mm," I agreed, sighing. Then again, it was probably a good thing he wasn't the type to call when he was in trouble, otherwise he would never have stayed on Whitebeard's ship long enough to join their crew, and that was definitely something that he needed. "Good. I mean, not that none of us have heard from him, but if he'd been keeping in touch with you without even sending us one measly letter, I'd beat the shit out of him."

Sabo chuckled nervously, taking a very pointed step away from me. Which was pretty gratifying. "Well... You know how he gets."

I eyed him, unimpressed, and he rose his hands in surrender.

"Go ahead and beat him up. I'm not getting involved in that one at all."

"Smart," I told him, continuing my forward march. I could feel that there was a bit of a commotion going on by the execution stand now and wondered just what kind of trouble my brother had gotten himself into. It was like I couldn't take my eyes off of him for ten minutes without him blowing everything to hell. Except...

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I groaned, smacking my hand to my forehead. How could I have not recognized that aura sooner? It wasn't all that big, but it was definitely distinctive.

"What?" Sabo asked, glancing around as if looking for the source of my exasperation.

"Luffy's run into an old... _friend_ , it seems," I explained even as I took off at a run.

"Friend?" Even as fast as I was going, Sabo kept up easily.

"Buggy the Clown," I huffed. I had thought that, since he hadn't been sent flying, we might not have to deal with his stupidity this time around. At least it didn't seem like Alvida was with him. "We kicked his ass a few islands back and kind of stole his treasure. Well, Nami stole most of it, really, I only took a bag and I ended up giving most of that to the town he and his crew had been destroying. Still, it seems he's kept a bit of a grudge about it."

"Buggy, huh?" Sabo's face took on a thoughtful look. "He's pretty well known here in the Blues, since he's a Grand Line pirate with a Devil Fruit, even though he's actually really weak. He didn't give you guys trouble, did he?"

"Not really. He was more annoying than anything. And I'm not all that worried about him giving us trouble now, either. I'm more worried about him drawing the attention of the wrong people, especially since our crew is split up. Getting together in a hurry and setting sail with the Marines on our tails isn't really the entrance to the Grand Line that I want to make, though on Luffy's crew it'd definitely be appropriate."

Sabo laughed. "Don't worry, there's no way I'd let ol' Smoker get his hands on my precious baby siblings. You guys are headed to the Grand Line and nothing's gonna stop ya."

I scoffed but said nothing. Honestly, I was pretty sure we could take Smoker without outside help. The main reason Luffy of canon had so much trouble with him, after all, was that he was a Logia and he'd had no grasp on haki yet. That wasn't a problem anymore. Lu could put up one hell of a fight and all I had to do was keep him from getting hit with the Sea Stone on the man's weapons.

Still, it was a nice sentiment, I supposed. And I really would rather avoid letting the World Government know that a couple of rookies out of the weakest of the Blues had a competent grasp on haki, something that most didn't even hear of until you got closer to the New World. Something like that would definitely grab us all the wrong kinds of attention, right off the bat.

We'd finally reached the edge of the square where the execution stand was located and, after one look at the goings-on, I wanted to just sigh for a very long time. Maybe bash my head into a nearby wall while I was at it.

Luffy, the giant idiot, had gotten himself locked up and looked supremely happy about it, way more than the situation called for. Buggy stood above him, crowing his supposed victory with sword in hand, looking for all the world like he was about to take his enemy's head. Even from here, I could see that my brother had at least been smart enough to have his neck covered by Armament, but that still begged the question of why he was still trapped, or why he'd let himself be trapped in the first place.

Probably to fuck with everyone, considering the amusement that was practically rolling off of him in waves. Honestly, I'd rubbed off on him in the worst of ways.

"It's good to see that some things don't change," Sabo commented cheerfully at my side, patting my shoulder in commiseration before he began making his way determinably through the crowd. Regardless of how amused with the situation he looked, though, I could see a protective rage bubbling in his eyes, even though I couldn't feel any emanating from him. Really, it was actually kind of creepy how controlled over his aura he was. And it had me wanting to get good enough that I could do it, too.

I was just about to follow him when a spike of panic came from behind me, in the direction I'd absently realized the rest of the crew had congregated. The panic had come from Nami and Usopp, while Sanji and Zoro had both begun to feel annoyed and indignant.

And then Sanji's aura went flat, swiftly followed by Zoro's, as if they'd simply gone to sleep, and a lump of dread began to form in the pit of my stomach as I stood, frozen, unable to do anything to help them from so far away.

"No," I whispered, pleaded, as I felt helpless anger and fear before Nami's aura went quiet, as well. Usopp's barely lasted a second longer. "No. No, no, no, _no_."

What was happening? This hadn't happened last time, I would've remembered it. And yeah, Zoro still might not be a hundred percent, but he could still put up a hell of a fight and Sanji was no slouch, especially with Nami nearby to protect. And when push came to shove, both Nami and Usopp were smart and scrappy in their own ways, even if I'd only barely begun to teach them how to really fight. No member of our crew was a pushover.

So, how was it that all four of them had been taken out in less than a minute? What the _hell_ was going on?

The sound of bending metal and splintering wood echoed through the suddenly silent courtyard, Luffy's confusion and _rage_ blanketing the place as he felt his nakama blink out one by one, the fun of his game officially over and gone. I didn't even have to look back to know that Buggy was now a lump of beaten and bruised flesh at the bottom of the stand.

Sabo had frozen only a few feet away from me, likely having felt the distress I knew had to be pouring out of me. Because my crewmates had just been taken down and here I was, on the other side of town, unable to do _anything_.

"What just happened?" Luffy demanded, suddenly at my side. I shook my head, feeling a little dazed. They'd just... They'd just all gone _flat_. " _Lily_. What's happening?"

I shook my head again, sharper this time, in an effort to clear my mind. "I don't know. They'd met back up and had been heading this way when Nami and Usopp got scared by something. I think they were confronted? Got in a fight? But then they all just went flat. That usually means that someone's asleep or knocked out. It happened so quick, though..."

"We need to go," Luffy decided, taking hold of my hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "Can you still feel them?"

"Yeah," I nodded. It was faint, always was when someone had been knocked out and wasn't dreaming, but I'd gotten so attuned to them that it was easier than it otherwise might've been. "They're being taken in that direction, towards -"

"The east side of the island," Sabo cut in, face set in grim lines. The lump of dread in my stomach grew heavier, almost making me feel nauseous with it.

"What does that mean?" I asked, proud that my voice didn't shake.

"I told you why I was here," he said, almost gently. "They target pirate crews at random."

"So, they were taken, right?" Luffy demanded, fists clenched at his sides. "Then all we've gotta do is take them back and kick a whole bunch of asses while we do it! Those are _my_ nakama, no one else is allowed to have them!"

Having said that, Luffy began marching off in the direction I had indicated. He made it about five steps before coming to a dead stop, head swiveling around like some kind of morbid rendition of an owl.

"Wait, _Sabo_?!"

"Ah, hey there, little brother. Long time, no see, huh?" Sabo asked nonchalantly. Luffy's body twisted around to straighten itself out and he began to bounce in place, his bottom lip sucked into his mouth and his face turning red in deliberation before he finally let out a great big whoosh of air and pointed towards our older brother almost aggressively.

"Nakama first!" He decided, voice greatly pained. "And then I'm gonna hug you!"

"Roger that," Sabo agreed easily, grinning indulgently. Luffy nodded once, satisfied, and then did an about-face to continue his forward march. And if he had to wipe at his face with his arm a few times, well, neither of us were going to call him out on it.

"At least I didn't get snot on my jacket," was all Sabo mumbled about it and I couldn't help but snort at him, even as I tried my hardest to focus on my crewmates auras - they were asleep still, it seemed, but were they hurt? How fast were they being moved? Were they being carried, taken by cart? Were they already on a ship? - because there was no way Sabo was getting out of this without getting cried on. When Lu said there'd be hugging later, there would be, and it was almost guaranteed that there'd be tears as well.

Any other situation and Luffy probably would've taken the time to hug it all out now, much like he had in Dressrosa. But this situation was vastly different. One of his crew members was already injured, one was still fairly new to the crew, another he'd just gotten back while the last tended to be scared easily. And all four of them had been taken, out of Luffy's reach for the time being. Every single one of Luffy's protective urges had to be screaming right about now.

I knew that mine were. Whoever thought they could get away with this was going to find out that they were very, _very_ wrong.

And so we continued on our way towards our nakama, completely oblivious to and uncaring of the mayhem Luffy had left in his wake.

.

* * *

.

It doesn't take long for us to realize that, wherever our nakama are being taken, we're not going to catch up to them before they get there.

It's frustrating, definitely, but bearable. So long as we get to them eventually, before they're hurt, it'll be good enough for me. Still, I can't help but hope we get there before they wake up - because they're still asleep, and just what was it that happened that's kept them out for so long? - because Zoro and Sanji are bound to be furious, Usopp scared, but Nami?

Nami's practically been a slave for nearly a decade and she's only just finally regained her freedom. To wake up shackled once more, by actual _slave traders_?

The more I think about it, the more I want to punch each and every one of them right in the fucking throat.

Still, my brother and I know nothing about them, besides what little I'd been told earlier, and while I'd still jump into the fray knowing even less than that if the safety of my nakama depended on it, I'd feel a lot better with more information. And it just so happens that we have someone in the know running right along next to us.

"You said you were investigating them, right?" I huffed as we finally left city limits. When it had become clear that we'd have a bit of a distance to go, Sabo had asked if we wanted him to call someone on his Den Den Mushi, to have our ship moved to a safer area. It was pretty distinct, after all, and after the commotion Luffy had gotten into in the middle of the city, the marines were bound to be on the lookout for us now. It was only luck that we'd gotten out of the square before any of the higher ups had arrived.

Luffy had been reluctant, and I hadn't felt much better about it, but we'd still agreed. We didn't like the thought of strangers sailing Merry anywhere, but we liked the thought of marines getting their hands on her even less.

"Members of our organization were, yeah," he nodded, not slowing down as he answered. "I don't know as much as they do, since Dragon-san and I only just got here recently. We've been debriefed, though."

"So, tell us what you do know. You said they're slave traders who target pirate crews and bounty hunters but avoid civilians so that the Government won't kick up a fuss. But what else? They took out four of our crew in under a minute, Sabo."

"They're not weak," Luffy interjected, scowling at the mere idea. "Zoro and Sanji are strong, even when they're injured. And Usopp and Nami are smart. They both know how to run and hide."

I was supremely glad the navigator wasn't around to hear that, regardless of how true it was. Luffy had probably meant it as a compliment, with how he'd said it, but I doubt it would've been taken as one.

"We suspect one of their members has a paralyzing Devil Fruit," Sabo informed us, voice dead serious. "We're not quite sure how it works just yet, but that's our working theory. We had been planning on sending someone in and letting them get captured, after we'd done a bit more reconnaissance, to try and get a better idea. But, I'm guessing neither of you would be willing to wait that long?"

"Not a fucking chance."

"No way!"

"Though so," he sighed, more fondly resigned than truly annoyed. "Look, just focus on getting your crew out, okay? I contacted Dragon-san and reported in, and reinforcements are right behind us. This is our task, and we'll take care of it. So, just let us worry about it, yeah?"

"If you think these assholes are getting out of it without either of us punching them, you're a lot dumber than you used to be," I chided him, grinning.

"They took my nakama," Luffy growled, like that was all the excuse he needed, and really, it was. Like it or not, there was no way Sabo was going to be able to stop him from getting in on the action, one way or another. His mind had already been made up.

Sabo's eye twitched and, ah, there was that annoyance I'd been waiting for. "Look, I get that this has become personal for you, okay? And I'm not trying to doubt your strength or anything. But you two aren't even Grand Line pirates, yet, and these guys have been around for awhile. Like you said, they took your crew out in _seconds_. They know what they're doing. So, just let us handle this!"

Had Sabo been this much of a coddler in canon, when he'd met up with Luffy again? I couldn't really remember, but my instinct was saying no. He'd been protective, yeah, but he hadn't told Luffy not to fight, not like he was doing now, and I couldn't really understand why.

Was it because Luffy had had so much more experience, by then? He'd already sailed the first half of the Grand Line, after all, had fought impossible battles and had won, had fought in a war and had _lost_ but had kept going anyways, had come back swinging all the harder. Was it because, after knowing Luffy had gone through so much without him being there, he'd felt he had no right to try to protect him like that, to keep him from fighting?

I didn't know what was different between then and now, but I knew one thing for sure, and that was that Luffy was having even less of it than I was. Which was saying something, seeing as how I was having absolutely _none_ of it.

"No," Luffy told him seriously, and something in the change of his voice seemed to catch our older brother's attention because he almost stumbled, blinking wide eyes at him. I wondered if, before he'd left, he'd ever had a chance to really hear Luffy's Captain Voice. I didn't think so since, as our older brother, he probably hadn't had a reason to use it on him and, if he had, it probably would've been pretty pathetic coming from a seven-year-old. It definitely wasn't pathetic now. " _They took my nakama_. They attacked them, and they _took them_. So, we're going to _take them back_."

Having said that, Luffy sped up once more. We were closer, now, close enough that even he could feel our crewmate's dull auras. They'd stopped moving, and I hoped that meant they were still on land. I didn't really fancy having to go all the way back just to get Merry, though I would, if we had to.

Sabo was silent next to me, his eyes glued to our brother's back as Luffy continued leading the way, never once slowing down. The closer we got, the faster he went. And, really, this was all mostly flat land, anyway, even with the trees now surrounding us. Nothing when compared to running about on the mountain.

"You two really have grown," he finally muttered quietly, so quietly that I barely even heard him. When I glanced over at him, the look on his face was a little hard to place, like pride and heartbreak, all in one.

I was about to open my mouth, to say something, but just then was when we finally broke through the tree line. Up ahead was a small cove, hemmed in with the forest on one side and a cliff face on the other. Bobbing along in the water was a ship, barely the size of the Going Merry and pretty securely hidden. People could be seen moving about on deck, voices ringing out orders, and I could feel that our crewmates were definitely on that ship.

Spread out on the beach were a few crates here and there, a fire pit set up near the rocks, but it was obvious that they hadn't wanted to get too comfortable here, in case they had to quickly pack up and leave. Pretty smart, since this was such a popular island and the marines probably patrolled it regularly. I knew the government wouldn't mind turning a blind eye to such an operation but I could never imagine Smoker doing so, even if it meant getting into trouble.

I had a lot of mixed feelings when it came to Smoker. I liked him as a character, especially after he'd had time to grow a little bit. But here and now, living in this world, I couldn't help but also want to punch him and then maybe yell at him a bit. After all, he'd been less than a two day journey away from Conomi Islands and I had every faith that he was strong enough to have taken out Arlong's entire crew, if he'd tried. But he hadn't.

And it wasn't that I thought he'd ignored it, just like I knew there was no way he was ignoring these slave traders. He just _didn't know_. He was right here, the proverbial and literal law of the land, and he didn't know enough about what was going on around him to do anything about it.

And maybe it wasn't an ignorance that I should be so mad about. But every time I thought about it, I just saw Nami's face, defeated and so, _so_ sad, pleading for help as all the people she cared about went off to face their own deaths. And now this?

So, yeah, Smoker and I were definitely going to have one hell of a chat whenever he caught up to us. If he caught up to us.

Without the showdown between him and my brother, with our father stepping in, would he still follow us all the way into the Grand Line?

"They're on that ship," I whispered, grabbing hold of Luffy's collar and yanking him back into the cover of the trees before he could be seen. I was all for fighting but I'd really prefer if we did it smartly. After all, Sabo did have a bit of a point. These people were used to fighting and capturing people like us. "And from what I can sense, they're not the only ones that've been captured."

Sabo nodded, probably having already sensed as much. "Their crew looks like they're pretty spread out, on both the ship and on land. It'd be difficult to sneak onboard without anyone seeing us."

"So then we just won't sneak," Luffy decided, easy as pie, as he cracked his knuckles impatiently. Now that the targets were in his sight, he was clearly ready to get this beatdown going. "I'm not any good at sneaking. Whenever Lili took me with her to steal from the nobles in High Town, I always got caught."

Sabo took a second to raise an eyebrow at me. I shrugged back at him, unrepentant.

"He does make a good point, though," I admitted. "He really is absolute crap at sneaking. And like you said, it'd be hard to do, even if he was good at it. So..."

"Distraction," Sabo agreed, sounding less than thrilled with this plan of action, but just as thoroughly resigned to it.

"I can get to our crewmates pretty easily in the chaos," I told them, and I wasn't lying. I might not be able to hide my aura quite to the extent that Sabo and his... coworkers? Companions? Subordinates? could hide theirs, but I was old hat at slipping unnoticed through a chaotic battlefield. And taking out some people here and there as I did was easy enough, and would hopefully quell that ugly part of me that was currently crying out for the blood of whoever thought they could get away with trying to _sell my nakama_.

"Fine. Fine!" Sabo rubbed his hands through his hair and sighed. "I don't know why I ever thought either of you would sit back during this. I admit now that that was pretty stupid of me." He glanced up to look us both in the eyes. "But there are Devil Fruit users here, okay? And like I said, they know what they're doing. So _be careful_."

Luffy and I both nodded, though I had a niggling suspicion that once he got to fighting, Luffy wasn't going to be anywhere near as careful as Sabo was hoping. Still, I trusted my captain, and I trusted Sabo to keep him from getting too hurt if it really came down to it. And from what I could feel, none of these people were all that strong, not _really_. Not when compared to Arlong and his crew.

They probably depended more on getting the drop on people with that paralyzing Devil Fruit, especially since nobody knew to look out for them here. Who would expect it, when there's such a notorious marine as Smoker here? And most pirates are probably more excited about making it to the Grand Line than anything, like we had been.

Like the others probably had been, before they got taken by surprise.

I grit my teeth as a new wave of anger went through me and then determinately pushed it down. I could take that anger out on whoever got in my way, but I had to keep a clear head if I wanted to help anybody.

"Alright, then. Off you two go," I decided and, not even giving them a chance to brace themselves, shoved them out into the open. Luffy did nothing more then get right to it, not even skipping a beat, but Sabo took a second to cuss before following in our brother's wake.

I didn't stick around to watch, instead moving along the curve of the forest until my choices were to run across the beach or dip into the ocean. The latter would mean even less chance of being spotted but, honestly, I was in no mood to be soaking wet at the moment. Attention was firmly directed at the fight taking place in the middle of the tiny beach, voices yelling out in alarm as everyone converged on the one area. Pretty stupid of them, really, but I wasn't going to complain when it was just making things easier for me.

A quick dash across the sand took me to the side of their ship and, from there, it was pretty simple to climb aboard. I compressed my aura as small as it could go and made sure to move quickly, darting in and out of sight. There were no new yells of indignant shock as I went, so I felt safe in assuming I hadn't been spotted, and made my way inside the ship and down, towards where I could feel the still flat auras of my crewmates. There were two awake with them, probably guards, so at least this crew hadn't been dumb enough to just abandon them completely.

Still, two guards weren't going to be enough to stop me, especially when I was already this pissed.

I stopped just at the final staircase, feeling the pair of guards standing vigil at the bottom, and peered down cautiously. It was two men, one looking about my own age while the other looked to be almost in his thirties. The younger was standing ramrod straight, hand gripped tight around the hilt and pommel of his sword and practically jittering out of his skin with nerves and excitement. He was also visibly annoyed, probably at having been assigned guard duty while all the action was taking place outside without him. His messy, light brown hair and slightly chubby baby face made him look really young, though his height and build contradicted that. All in all, looking at him and sensing him with my Observation, I couldn't help but suspect that he'd never been in a real, life or death fight in his entire life.

The man standing across from him was practically the kid's complete opposite. He stood slouched against the wall, arms crossed loosely across his chest, head tilted back and eyes closed behind shaggy black bangs. If it weren't for my haki, I'd even say he was sleeping on his feet, but no, he was definitely awake and alert. But he wasn't worried, not even a little bit. Irritated, tired and slightly bored, but not worried, even with all the yelling going on outside. He probably expected whoever was attacking them to never make it this far.

Well, time to prove him wrong.

Sucking in a slow, deep breath, I jumped, catching hold of the lip of the ceiling and using it to propel myself down the stairs all the faster. The man noticed me first, for all that his eyes had been closed, but he had no time to shout a warning at the boy before I was there, planting my feet solidly in his youthful face. He went down with barely a gurgle, unconscious before he even hit the ground, and I had to duck out of the way as a suddenly unsheathed blade cut through the air where my neck had just been.

The man blinked at me slowly, taking me in, and I could see recognition spark dimly in his dark eyes. "Spitfire Lily, eh? You're worth a pretty penny, darlin'."

"Only if you can actually beat me," I sneered, annoyed, even as I cataloged him just as thoroughly. He was relaxed, unworried, even now that he was facing an opponent. And it wasn't the forced kind that thugs in the trash heap had sometimes used, the perversive kind of arrogance that made them truly believe that they could never be beaten. No, this was calm and sure.

Whoever this guy was, he'd been in his fair share of fights, and had faith in his own strength. And that meant that I had to take him seriously, even if I acted like I didn't.

He chuckled at me. "What, did we take members of your crew or somethin'? Came to get them back? That's pretty loyal, for a pirate."

"They're our nakama, no way are we letting shitheads like you sell them off," I told him, glancing out of the corner of my eye towards where I could see a giant cage built in to the back of the room. The sight itself had me baring my teeth and snarling.

Apparently taking my diverted focus as an opening, the man lunged forward, thrusting his blade at me. I dodged easily, having seen the attack coming even without looking, and spun around him, slipping my own blades into my hands as I went.

We danced back and forth and, I had to admit, whoever this guy was, he was _good_. Not as good as Zoro was, and definitely not anywhere near the level of Mihawk, but he was clearly comfortable with his sword and knew how to use it. He was fairly agile, stepping lightly, but his size and bulk meant that he was built more for strength than speed. And now that he'd seen my face, he was no longer trying to truly injure me, just knock me out.

I wasn't having that dilemma.

Ducking past a blow that did nothing more than score a light scratch across my arm, I bent and twisted my way through his defenses, grabbing tight hold of his head and using it to propel myself up even as I shoved it down, right into my knee. He dropped like a stone, sword falling out of his hand and clattering noisily against the wood of the floor, and I landed next to him, crouched and ready.

It was unnecessary, though. His aura had gone quiet, and he was just as out as his companion was.

Dusting my hands off and hoping that, whenever he woke up, he did so with one hell of a headache, I moved passed them and towards the cage at the back of the room.

Looking at it directly, with nothing to distract me, had me wanted to wake the guy up just to beat the shit out of him. I hoped that, whatever the Revolutionaries did with these people, it was unpleasant.

I didn't waste time looking around for keys, since none were in clear sight, and instead dropped to the ground and pulled a few of my pins from a pouch in one of my jacket's inner pockets. Picking the lock took barely three seconds and then I was swinging the door open and heading inside with no hesitation.

I was expecting to find a couple of unconscious bodies, all of them knocked out and unresponsive.

What I didn't expect was to walk in and have dozens of eyes on me, even as no one moved a single muscle. I could admit, it was the closest to screaming in terror that I'd come in awhile.

" _Jesus fucking shit_ ," I muttered, placing a hand against my suddenly pounding heart. "That is the creepiest thing I've seen in days, and I saw Luffy turn his head around like an owl earlier, okay, what the fuck."

None of them answered me, of course, but I could see humor beginning to bleed into eyes that had previously been full of dread, anger and fear.

My crewmates, when I found them amongst the horde of unmoving people - and seriously, there were at least fifty people in this cage, how had nobody noticed this many go missing at a time, pirates or not? - just looked unspeakably relieved to see me. I made my way instantly to them, taking care not to step on anybody on the way.

"Hey," I kneeled before Nami, patting her cheek gently even as I started working on the cuffs clasped around her wrists - and why? Did the power that paralyzed them have a time limit? And if so, how come none of the others were moving, either? - "You guys really scared us, you know? Luffy damn near destroyed the execution stand, and I'm pretty sure Buggy won't be moving on his own for at least a month."

I could see Nami and Zoro's eyes flicker with confusion at the mention of the clown pirate and shook my head at them because, really, besides carrying around a stupid grudge, I didn't really know why he'd follow us here, either. Still, I continued talking because, though Zoro looked just plain annoyed and Sanji looked jointly irritated at the situation and elated to see me, Nami and Usopp still looked utterly terrified.

Which was creepy, since I still couldn't feel them. They still just felt flat, like they were sleeping, even though it was pretty obvious that they were wide awake. Which made my heart hurt a bit, because if they were awake now, did that mean they'd been awake this entire time? Had Nami been told why they were being taken, that she'd only just escaped slavery just to be thrust right back into it?

Yeah, I really hoped the Revolutionaries were gonna make these assholes _hurt_.

I quickly moved down the line, for all the good it did me. Even unchained, they still couldn't move. But it made me feel better, and I knew it helped them, too. Hopefully, whatever was going on with them would wear off soon because I'd really hate to have to hunt down the guy with the Fruit that had done this and force him to undo it, though I definitely would if I had to. Plus, moving all of these people when they were nothing more than dead weight wasn't going to be much fun, even after Sabo's backup got here to help.

I could still hear the sounds of fighting from outside, though, and figured my best bet was to just do what I could now so that we could hurry things along later. Luffy was having fun again, since he knew I was with our nakama now, which meant that they were safe. It was a very vindictive, angry kind of fun, but a fun nonetheless. Sabo, for his part, still felt extremely dim to my senses, even in the midst of a fight as he was. And really, I was getting pretty irritated with all of these people around that I couldn't feel. That was my shtick, okay, and they were throwing one hell of a wrench into it.

Shaking away that thought and resolving to try and ask tips from Sabo later, I began making my way through the rest of the people here, unchaining all of them. I had no clue who most of them were and, as far as I knew, I could be helping out murderers and scumbags right now. But whatever, if it came down to it, I'd leave it up to my dad to figure out what to do with them. No matter what, I couldn't just leave them here while knowing that slavery was what awaited them. I wasn't sure I could do that to anybody, no matter how terrible they were.

Well... maybe Akainu. Thankfully, it was unlikely that I'd ever be forced to make that decision. I'd be way more comfortable just killing the bastard.

I was almost through all of them when I had to just stop and stare for a moment, because no fucking way.

"No fucking way."

Laying spread out on the ground unceremoniously, and looking like he'd be snarling at me if he had any control of his facial muscles, was Bartolomeo in all his color-clashing glory.

I sighed, bringing a hand up to massage at the sudden headache forming behind my eyes. "Seriously, Luffy has the weirdest luck I've ever seen. What is up with that?"

Still, I bent down and got to work on his cuffs, just as I had everyone else's. All I really remembered of the guy was how much of a fanboy he'd been of my brother and his crew - though hadn't that happened because of watching Luffy declare himself the future Pirate King, even when it looked like he was about to die? So, would he even have the same obsession anymore? - but I also knew he'd had the moniker of Cannibal and that he could be kind of an asshole to anyone not affiliated with the Straw Hats.

Still, he hadn't been a bad guy and he'd done a lot to help out during the Dressrosa arc. Even if he never had that level of devotion to my crew, or if he never became that person, I still couldn't help but think highly of, and be grateful to, him.

"Okay," I huffed once I was done, standing up and placing my hands on my hips to survey the area to be sure I hadn't missed anyone. Everyone who could stared right back at me from wherever they'd been dumped on the floor and I couldn't quite stop my grimace. "Still creepy as hell. Seriously. It's like walking into a room full of dolls and having all of their eyes follow you around."

A few averted their eyes, at that, clearly sympathetic to how unnerving that must be. Most still continued to watch me, though, and it wasn't really like I could blame them. I had no idea how long some of them had been like this. I might be the first glimpse of hope they'd seen in days.

"Right, well, the fighting has slowed down outside. Most of them are out, and Luffy's feeling a bit disappointed, which probably means they went down faster than he'd been hoping. I don't know if back up has gotten here yet or not, so I don't really -"

"No, they're here," Sabo's voice called from the top of the stairs. A second later he was stepping down them into sight, sparing barely a glance towards the men I'd knocked out as he made his way towards me. "They're roping up the guys outside to make sure they don't cause any trouble and then they'll be heading this way. Dragon-san seems to be... talking with Luffy."

I snickered, imagining just how well that was likely going. Unless he'd flat out said it, Lu probably hadn't even realized that it was our dad.

Sabo looked around us, observing the multitude of people that had been captured and trapped here, before dryly commenting. "Well, that's unsettling. This is a lot more than we'd thought. Our intel was seriously lacking."

I could tell by his tone that someone was going to be getting a dressing-down because of that and couldn't help but wince a bit in sympathy.

"Well, like you said," I offered hesitantly, "they were focusing on pirate crews and bounty hunters for a reason. It's hard to keep track of when they go missing."

Sabo just eyed me, unimpressed, and I lifted my hands in surrender, an odd reversal of our conversation earlier that day.

"Hey, you wanna yell at your minions, I ain't gonna stop ya. I was just saying."

"They're not my minions!" Sabo scowled though, really, it looked nothing more than pouting.

" _Sure_ ," I drew out the word, letting him know just how much I disbelieved that, and turned away from his deepening pout. "But like you said, there's definitely a lot of people in here. What's the plan?"

"Well," he straightened, suddenly serious once more, "we'll probably offer them a place with us, if they want it. The rest, we'll let go."

"Just like that?" I asked, side-eyeing him. "Some of these guys could be pretty bad people. And you're just gonna let them go?"

"Well, what else would we do? Hand them over to the marines?" He scoffed. "Like that would accomplish anything. We'd be better off just killing them here and now. It'd be kinder."

"Then why don't you?" I wasn't judging, merely curious, and I could see that he realized that. My opinion of the World Government wasn't all that better than his, though he probably had quite a few more reasons to hate them then I did, with everything he'd likely seen over the years.

He shrugged, looking much more uncomfortable with the intense stares he was receiving. "This is their second chance, I guess. We're not gonna let them become slaves, no matter what. We'll fight when we have to and kill when we have to, but that's not what our objective is. We just want freedom, for everyone." He shrugged. "It'd be pretty hypocritical if we turned around and acted just like the shitty Government, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm," I hummed for a minute before gracing him with a smile. "Well, you're not gonna hear any arguments from me."

There was a sudden commotion by the stairs, followed by a shout of alarm. We both whipped around just in time to see a body fall through the doorway and hit the ground with a dull, limp _thud_. I didn't recognize him but by the way Sabo's hands clenched, he clearly did.

"What the hell is all this?" A man's gravely voice whined as footsteps thumped down the stairs towards us. "All I do is take a nap, and I wake up to this bullshit. Do I really have to do everything around here?"

The guy that came into view was older, mid-thirties at the youngest. His dark hair was scraggly, barely held back in a loose ponytail. His build was wirey, all long-limbs, and his face was twisted with an ugly scar slashing diagonally across it.

His eyes were the coldest I'd ever seen. Though, if he was the leader of these slave traders, I guess they'd have to be.

He smiled when he spotted us, a twisted, ugly thing, and then bent forward into a mocking bow. "Welcome to my ship, I hope you enjoy your stay. After all, you won't be leaving for quite some time."

"We'll be leaving a lot sooner than you think," Sabo told him, voice impressively level what with how angry he'd looked just a moment before. "You might not be, though."

"Oooh, spooky," the man chuckled, amused, before his gaze drifted to me and turned thoughtful. "You're a new bounty, right? I keep my eyes on all the up-and-comers out of the East, you see, and I'm sure I've seen your face. Pretty thing like you, you'll sell for a good amount. Just the right age, too. A lot of those nobles like them looking young, but don't want 'em _too_ young, ya know?"

He'd barely gotten the words out before Sabo was suddenly there, in his face and giving him no time to defend himself. I sighed, despaired of having overprotective older brothers who refused to let me defend myself, and left him to it. Wasn't like I'd be able to do anything now, anyways, since the fight was likely to be over in just a moment. I definitely wasn't imagining the darker black that was covering Sabo's gloved hands, and that clawed hit to the chest was bound to do quite a bit of damage.

I wasn't really expecting them _both_ to go down, though.

"Sabo?!" I yelped as he hit the floor, landing awkwardly on top of the guy he'd just taken out. Even from here, though, I could see that his eyes were still open, blinking confusedly at his sudden inability to move. Seeing this, I let out a long sigh in an attempt to calm my racing heart, before quickly dissolving into helpless laughter.

"This whole time," I gasped, "this whole time, you've been telling us over and over to be careful, warning about acting impulsively, and yet _you're_ the one that let your anger get the best of you. And look at you now."

He could do nothing but glare up at me, looking sheepish and insulted all at once.

"Comfy?" I asked impishly, full of smug satisfaction as I crouched next to him and patted his head. "I think we found the Devil Fruit user."

He blew out a louder breath through his nose, frustrated, but could do nothing but lay there, limp, as I took pity and hefted him up under his arms, dragging him across the floor and resting him against the wall.

"Hopefully that paralysis doesn't last too long," I told him, trying for sympathetic and probably landing at extremely amused.

Sabo just did his best to sigh at me.

.

* * *

.

It turned out that the paralysis did _not_ have a time limit and that the user really was just that much of a dick, to clap the people he abducted into chains even though there was no reason to. Finding that out had me wanting to beat the shit out of the guy myself, if it wouldn't result in me ending up just like Sabo, since he could apparently use his abilities with just a touch. Apparently, he hadn't had time to defend himself, but he had had time to brush his hand against the side of Sabo's neck.

Thank god it had only been a paralyzing ability and not something more life threatening, otherwise Sabo'd be dead and so would every single one of the slave traders.

Still, it surprisingly didn't take very long to get everyone up and out onto the small beach front. We left the others to the Revolutionaries, but Luffy and I handled our own crew.

Dragon, when he caught sight of the mulish look in Sabo's eyes as he was carried out, looked like he wanted nothing more than to laugh hysterically. Koala, not bothering with any kind of restraint, did just that.

It felt like everything happened very quickly after that. This clearly wasn't the first time the Revolutionaries had dealt with a situation like this, and they went about operating like a smoothly oiled machine, even with one of their top members out of commission for the time being. It felt like they had every single slave trader tied up and carted away within moments, though I couldn't tell where they were being taken. Those that had been taken as intended slaves followed quickly after.

Soon, the only ones left on the beach were my crew, Sabo and Dragon.

"Well," I sighed, stepping up to Dragon's side as I watched Luffy go back and forth between fretting and laughing at our nakama, completely ignoring the fact that they were clearly planning their revenge. "This wasn't how I thought it'd go, the next time I saw you, I've got to admit. The slave traders were a bit of a surprise."

"You were badly injured, last time," he glanced down at me - and really, why were he and Gramps so tall, while Lu and I were so short? - and smirked. "This is definitely a step up."

"Fair enough," I granted. I wasn't going to complain about the lack of third degree burns, that was for damn sure. "Sabo said you were hoping to see us off?"

Dragon hummed in agreement. "I had hoped that, one day, you and your brother would join me. Piracy isn't bad, though. You've been taking the world by storm. That's good enough for me."

"Good," I snorted. "Because Lu's gonna be the Pirate King, one day, and no one's gonna stop him. Not even you."

Our father's face split into a full-blown, Monkey D. grin as he let loose booming laughter, drawing all attention to him in that moment. "Wouldn't dream of it! He's inherited Roger's will, I can see it. So long as he keeps seeking the answer to freedom, he won't be stopped. Neither of you will."

He reached out, placing a hand gently upon my head while also glancing up to meet Luffy's confused gaze. "I'm proud of the both of you."

With that, he turned and followed the path his subordinates had made into the woods. I stared after him, even once he'd disappeared, until I heard Luffy make a sound of comprehension behind me.

"Oh! That was that Dragon guy, right? Our dad?"

I groaned, slapping a hand to my face. "Really, Luffy, you have absolutely no tact at all, do you?"

"Tact? What's that? Is it yummy?"

"Don't play dumb! I know you know what tact means, I've told you before!"

"It definitely doesn't sound very yummy."

" _What do you mean, he's your father?!_ "

Luffy and I both blinked towards where our crewmates were suddenly sitting up and staring at us incredulously. It took a moment of silence for them to realize that, hey, they were talking and moving on their own again, and then they promptly forgot their question to instead rejoice that fact.

"Oh, thank god," Usopp was groaning, patting at his own face. "That was terrifying! N-Not that I was scared or anything! Have I ever told you guys about the time I took out a hundred - no, _two hundred_ slave traders, all on my own, and saved a princess?"

" _Really?!_ "

"I can't believe there weren't any left over to fight," Zoro grumbled, clicking his tongue in irritation. "I should've sliced that guy up when I had the chance."

"Yeah, right," Sanji scoffed. "If anyone was going to kick the shit out of him and save the lovely lady Nami-san, then it was going to be me."

"What did you just say?!"

"You heard me!"

"You've definitely got a lively crew," Sabo murmured, coming up to stand beside me and watch the chaos unfold. The relationship between Sanji and Zoro had started off on much better terms, and they didn't fight nearly as much as they had in canon, but I was pretty sure it'd be impossible for them to have an antagonistic-free friendship. "Not that I'm surprised, since it's you two I'm talking about."

"Yup," I agreed cheerfully, watching as Nami scoffed at something Usopp was saying, even as she allowed him and Luffy to crowd further into her space than she usually would. I had a feeling that we'd be having another sleepover tonight, which I wasn't opposed to. After all that, it'd be nice to have them all within arms reach for awhile. "Never a dull, or quiet, moment."

"I'm glad," he smiled at me, face softening. "I was worried, at first. I've been thinking of you guys as my little siblings this whole time, as the kids that chased after Ace and I and couldn't beat either one of us in a fight. But you both really did grow up, and you've gotten a lot stronger. You've got a really good crew around you, and you all care about each other a lot. I'm really glad, Ana."

I would deny the way my eyes were watering to anyone who made the mistake of pointing it out but, yeah, I was pretty much about to cry like a baby after hearing all of that.

And then Sabo was ruining the moment, slinging an arm around my neck and putting me into a headlock, bringing his fist down onto my head in a relentless noogie. "You're still an annoying kid sister, though, you know that? Seriously, you didn't have to drop me when you were dragging me to the wall, earlier! I know you did it on purpose! You _laughed_!"

"No, no! I'm sorry!" I cried, the effect completely ruined by the fact that I couldn't stop laughing. "I give! I give!"

"I'll save you, Lili!" Luffy yelled before suddenly slingshotting himself at us, which really did nothing but get me a mouthful of sand. Still, Luffy seemed pretty pleased with himself when he ended up at the very top of the pile. "I beat you! I beat you!"

"Who exactly did you beat?" Sabo demanded, flipping them over and smushing Luffy's face into the sand right next to mine. "Face it, you two will never beat your big brothers!"

" _Will too!_ "

And it was just inevitable, at that point, that we'd tag team him. Really, he'd asked for it with a taunt like that.

Faintly, in the background, above Usopp and Nami's crowing laughter and Zoro's snickering, I heard Sanji squawk, "Wait, they're _all siblings_?!"

.

* * *

.

 **A/N: Really, Sanji, you're so slow lmao**

 **So, this is a few days (or months oops) later than I'd planned it to be but, hey, I got it out before Christmas! That has to count for something, right? Right?**

 **There's quite a few reasons why this was so late. I was busy, I was sick, I had a tooth thing, I had a few family things, I got distracted by other fandoms and other fics. But really, what it all boils down to is: I lost inspiration. Not for this story, per say, since I've still got a lot of ideas and plans for the future. But with writing in general.**

 **I have started this chapter so many times and each time felt like it just wasn't... good enough. And after awhile, I just got really discouraged, I guess, and stopped even trying. It wasn't until about a month ago that I sat down and _made_ myself write something for this. And it's still taken this long to finish (at 22,344 words before the A/N, for those of you who care about things like that). And still, I'm not quite happy with it. I had a lot of plans for this chapter, regarding the slave traders thing, and there was a lot more I was going to do with it. Enough that it would've lasted at least two chapters. And maybe one day, if I ever decide to revise this thing, I'll add more. But for now? This is the best I can do. And I really hope it's not horrible and that you guys like it, because I really did the best I could right now with it. I know it's stiff and bland in a lot of places, though, so I won't blame any of you who are dissatisfied with it.**

 **There have been a lot of reviews since I last updated (which, _holy crap_! This fic is almost to _600_! That's insane, you guys are amazing!) so, I'm going to come back and write my responses to them later (seriously, I've been awake for 28 hours at this point, the last 9 of which I've spent sitting in front of my computer screen, writing this chapter). I'm really sorry if that's inconvenient to any of you, or if you were hoping to read them now. I'll try to come back and go through them as soon as I wake up, or at least by tomorrow, at the latest. **

**Until then, though, I wanted to thank everyone who did leave a review since the last time I updated. I've read all of them and, if it weren't for you guys, it's pretty likely I probably wouldn't have found the motivation to crank this sucker out. I appreciate all of them, every opinion, every praise, every encouragement, and even the criticism. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart: _thank you so much_.**

 **As usual, this hasn't been proofread beyond a quick glance. If you've spotted any glaring mistakes, feel free to point them out to me. I just wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible.**

 **I'm really hoping that it all made sense and that my tired brain isn't about to inflict a big pile of nonsensical drivel on you guys lmao**

 **Anyways, as always, thank you so much for reading and please follow, favorite or leave a review to let me know what you think!**


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